2. EL teaching or assessment issues encountered while on Teaching Practicum.
The students at my TP school are generally smart, although they probably score higher in subjects other than English language. The students in my two EL classes are of mixed-ability in terms of EL competency. While some are very proficient in the subject, most of the students tend to be weak. One way i tried to make EL learning more relevant and interesting for the students was by the use of video-clips, pictures and powerpoint presentations. I found out that while the use of multimedia resources worked well in getting the students interested, their interest level and attention span generally waned when the multimedia segment ended. Nonetheless, video-clips and the like seemed to be effective in providing scaffolding and activating students' schema for the lesson ahead.
One problem affecting the students' EL learning seems to be their own attitude, rather than aptitude. There were a number of Chinese scholars in one of my classes who just came to Singapore last year. Although their EL competency is very weak, some of them managed to show tremendous progress in the few months they have been in Singapore, by virtue of their positive learning attitude and diligence. On the other hand, many local students seem to lack interest in the language and also determination to work harder at the subject. Some more competent students are contented with their present level of proficiency while weaker students tend to feel that it is almost impossible to score well in EL, thus rather spending the time and effort in their other subjects (which they do well in). Hence, i feel that either complacency or indifference towards EL is one important factor impeding the students' learning of the language. To address the issue of the students' attitude, i tried to encourage them by telling them that language skills cannot be learnt overnight, and so long as they are willing to put in the effort in speaking, listening, reading and writing more in English, they will improve with time. In addition, i tried to contextualise topics or issues in the EL lessons in the real world, so that students would see a greater purpose beyond mere language learning in EL classes. For example, for one of their situational writing lessons, i showed them videos of chidren in poverty who live on the streets and how the privilege of being able to study in schools later changed their lives. The students then had to write a formal letter to a businessman to thank him for his sponsorship of an overseas community trip to the Philippines, as well as detail some educational facilities built and how the children's lives have improved drastically as a result of his donation. Besides pure language teaching and learning in the EL classroom, i feel that being able to understand and relate to the real world will be beneficial to the students.
Another problem i encountered during TP was that despite the EL principle of student interaction, at their age, some students tend to be easily distracted and do not discuss the tasks assigned while in groups, while others simply attempted the tasks on their own instead of working in pairs / groups as they seemed to find that more "efficient" in terms of finishing the work earlier. Hence, groupwork often became individual work for some and chit-chatting sessions for others. In response to this problem, i tried to make the groupwork activity more organised and group-oriented, such as having the groups to give a presentation (where every group member has to contribute) on their assigned tasks in class. Also, i will sometimes get a pair of students to share their answers or role-play (where appropriate) after pair discussions. Constant teacher monitoring around the classroom when students are engaged in their group discussions can sometimes help students to focus on the tasks at hand; it also provides a chance for the teacher to guide the weaker groups which may have problems in their discussion. However, i realised that groupwork should not be given just for the sake of having groupwork or student interaction, especially when it is not necessary and when individual work would be more productive and effective. Hence, groupwork can be balanced with individual work or teacher talk / modelling for greater variety and better effect, and in accordance to the demands and nature of the lessons, as well as the intended lesson objectives.
For the classes that i got for TP, i realised that while the less motivated students need more teacher guidance and teaching, the more motivated and competent students tend to benefit from more student-centred learning, as it really imbues them with a greater sense of ownership and initiative in their own learning. When group presentations were tasked, the latter students were able to produce very impressive results. More challenging tasks can then be assigned to the students to in order for them to learn more fruitfully. On the other hand, the less motivated students benefited more from teacher facilitation, although appropriately-pitched student-centred activities were able to engage them as well with promising results too.
On the whole, i feel that the principles of EL teaching and learning serve as useful guidelines in the planning or EL lessons. However, not all the principles are appropriate or can be implemented at the same time. Ultimately, the students' profile and background play a part in determining how EL lessons can best be conducted, so as to benefit the students and help them to maximise their own potential.
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