ENG 346 Final

In this podcast episode, the host discusses the challenges faced by teachers in the education system, particularly in relation to teaching to the test. They emphasize the importance of teaching students skills that go beyond memorization, such as problem-solving and critical thinking. The host also shares quotes from a journal article about the importance of teaching students communicative competence and the ability to use language in real-life situations. They also mention an interview with a Mandarin teacher who focuses on interpersonal skills and uses technology in the classroom, but the host expresses some reservations about completely eliminating writing from the curriculum. Good morning, afternoon, evening, whatever time it may be, where you are in the corner of the world, and welcome back to the TESOL Teachings Togetherness podcast, where we talk about the field of TESOL issues and how we can improve these issues. There is a lot that goes on in the education system, in administration, and a lot of stuff that people don't know about or aren't aware of. So we like to talk about these things, make people aware, really get into the nitty-gritty of some of the issues, and then explore what are some things we can do to improve these issues. So I understand that it sounds like a lot, you know, as teachers, sometimes I think we can feel responsible for so much, yet at the same time so powerless, because there are these school systems at large, which are not, there are these school systems at large, which not only control students and families, but also teachers and what they teach. There's a big deal about teaching to the test, you know. We've talked about this before, how it really, teachers feel they're kind of stuck in this, between a rock and a hard place, you know. You want to provide the best education to your students, but also you might have these state tests and admin pushing you to teach a certain way so that students pass these tests, which is not always the best way to teach, because students are simply memorizing information and not processing this information. So there's this really beautiful quote that I want to share with you guys. It is by assistant professor, Dr., forgive me as I may butcher their name, but Dr. Santosh Arikudzeo, Arikudzeo, oh my goodness, this is a tough one, but they wrote a journal article. It's titled Issues and Concerns in Classroom Practices. It's really great. I definitely recommend it. And then in their section 3.1, which talks about open book examinations, they have this amazing quote that I love. It says, that is, teaching should equip students with the ability to acquire knowledge, to modify existing knowledge on the basis of new experience, to build new knowledge, and to apply available knowledge to solve problems and make intelligent decisions. So the big thing that I'm pulling from this is that we want to teach students how they can learn on their own. You know, again, he says, the ability to acquire knowledge, modify existing knowledge, and apply available knowledge to solve problems and make decisions. So as teachers, I think one of the biggest things, you know, besides just material that you're teaching them, whether it be math, science, whatever, you want them to leave your room with these life skills that will help them to take out into the real world and they can use to keep learning, build on what you taught them, and like he says, solve problems and make intelligent decisions. You want them to leave your classroom changed with an excitement to learn, the love to learn. I think that that is one of the greatest achievements you can make as a teacher. But again, when we have these administrations and state regulations that say your students need to know this, they need to meet this requirement, it can get really challenging to do this successfully. So one thing I remember my teachers doing, which I'm not quite sure how I personally feel about this. I think, of course, everyone has their own different opinions. But my teachers, when we had a big test coming up, we would not focus necessarily on what is going to be on the test because I think they were also preparing us for however long, maybe the unit, maybe longer, like two months, but without us knowing. And then they would introduce the test and a lot of times they'd be like, you know, you guys are prepared. You know everything that is going to be on this. But they would have us practice test taking skills. And the reason that I say I don't know if I love this is because I think it can just make the test super daunting. But, you know, from a teacher's perspective, you are trying to teach your students what is the best way they can approach these questions. You know, you're learning them, or you're teaching them new skills outside of what may just be your course content. You know, like I said, math, science, social studies, whatever, history. You're teaching them beyond that. You're saying here this is how you take a test successfully and you can use it for any subject. But again, I think it can just make, I know for me anyways, personally, when I was in high school, middle school, it sort of put a lot of pressure on the test because, you know, they were like, here is this test coming up, here are some skills you can use to do well on the test. But, you know, me being an anxious person, you get to that desk, you're handed a piece of paper with bubbles. You know, you have to use a number two pencil. I was always so nervous about that. I was like, is my mechanical pencil going to work? It always did. But again, super anxious kid. And then a lot of times there's just so much stress while you're taking the test. So focused on what is this question that all of those things my teacher had taught me just kind of, I don't want to say they go right out the window because that's not necessarily true. I can still think of things that my teachers have taught me to take better tests or to perform well on tests. But there's just so much pressure put on it sometimes. I think that when you're in the heat of the moment, you're like, I need to solve this math problem. How do I do it? You are not thinking about test strategies. So I apologize. I went on a little bit of a rant there. But all this is to say that it can be very difficult for teachers, as you know, to balance preparing students to perform well on state tests. And for the state, it's very difficult to balance what you want to teach and skills that you can give your students real life skills, but also preparing them for these tests. So there's another quote that I want to share that I think relates to teaching students skills they can use. So it comes from, or it's an idea called, and this is specifically TESOL, not just tests in general. It's an idea called communicative competence. It was first introduced by Dell Himes in the 70s and in a journal article written by Diane Larson Freeman and Marty Anderson titled, Teaching and Principles in Language Teaching. They talk about, they define it well. So I want to share that. They say communicative competence. My apologies. They state, students may know the rules of linguistic usage, but be unable to use the language. This is pulled from Widdowson, 1978. In short, being able to communicate required more than linguistic competence. Required communicative competence. Again, this is pulled from Himes, 1971. Knowing when and how to say what to whom. That is a part I really want to focus on. So when we're teaching language, I think this is so important. You know, beyond grammar rules, punctuation, sentence structure, a student may do really well on paper, paper test, multiple choice, writing. For me personally, I really enjoy writing. Speaking is not my strongest skill set. That's okay. Working on it. Practicing. So again, a student may perform really well in writing and they know all the rules of the language. They do amazing on grammar tests. But when it comes time to use the language and produce language naturally, organically, they may struggle with this knowing when and how to say what to whom. And I think that is crucial when you're teaching a language. And again, going back to assessment, I think if they really know, knowing when and how to say what to whom, teaching that and focusing on that, those interpersonal skills will help them to perform on these tests. So I had the wonderful opportunity to meet with, interview, and discuss a teacher, a teacher, a Mandarin teacher. She teaches ages, all ages, pre-K to high school seniors. So she had a lot to say, a lot of insights to give me, which is great, about how she assesses students and kind of how she runs her classroom. So again, I just talked about this communicative competence and how it is kind of similar to interpersonal skills, you know, where you're teaching students how they can use the language in real life scenarios. So I visited her classroom and she had all these amazing posters and she said she really focuses on interpersonal skills because it just helps students in all areas, you know. But I do have one critique of hers that I thought this was super interesting. So obviously interpersonal skills, how you use the language, when you use the language, how you are actually communicating, producing language orally. Are you doing this successfully? Are you saying the right things at the right time? Do you understand the cultural practices of this language? But she said to me that after year three of her students learning Mandarin, she no longer has them write and everything is done on the computer, which I thought was really interesting. So her argument is that it is interpersonal because we live in an age of technology. And so the students are learning how to use the language with technology where they probably will use it. If they go out into the world to a country where they're using Mandarin, they will most likely have to use the language with technology. However, I don't know how I feel about completely taking away writing because I do think, although technology is so prevalent in today's day and age, writing is also so important. And, you know, I'm kind of traditional. I like to write out all my notes with pen and paper. But I do this because I am actually processing what I'm reading, what I'm writing. And I'm still practicing using the language in writing. I feel like sometimes when I type stuff out, it just doesn't process the same. So I want to go back to this. Why can technology be an issue? There is a quote, another quote. I want to share. It comes from a journal article titled Current Issues on TESOL Field in ESL Context by, again, forgive me for if I butcher this name, Nomala Elmin Simbolon. And they state on the idea of technology. They say, on one hand, some scholars think that this type of learning is helpful and quite effective in TESOL classrooms with some reasons. Firstly, the authenticity of the text. Pulled from Carrier, sorry, that's C-A-R-R-I-E-R, Carrier, 1997. As cultural exposure is very possible through this system. And easy to access to internet has allowed for the introduction of more authentic material, which can be applied in language teaching. So this is kind of what I was talking about when I interviewed this teacher. And she believes that using technology in the classroom after they've learned writing, so they already know how to write. They're just not necessarily practicing it. And she believes that this is interpersonal. However, I think that there can be some issues with this. And I'm so sorry, I forgot to mention that this is also known as computer mediated communication. So when students are kind of learning and practicing how to communicate through technology through the computer, computer mediated communication. But some questions I have are, are these designed if they are taking a test online or an assessment, anything, activity, are they designed with the idea that all students understand how to use a computer? I would assume yes. Because if they're using it because it's interpersonal, then they're assuming that basically the whole world runs around technology and everyone knows how to use it. However, I also think that it's very possible that if you put certain students in front of a computer and ask them to produce or type a sentence in English, they would not know where to begin. So do we need to be teaching the computer skills on top of language skills, or do you think the language skills that we've already taught them are through communicative competence? Is that enough that they can be put in front of the computer and they can produce a sentence? Or another thing to think about is maybe this is daunting for some students if they have been learning how to use this language on paper and writing the language, then all of a sudden you ask them to use it on the computer. Are you teaching them computer skills as well? I just am not the biggest fan of this, simply because I don't think, especially when you're dealing with students from so many backgrounds, you don't know for sure if they know how to use technology. But then we have to think about also, is this essential to teach them? Because technology is so prevalent, and are the assessments that students are going to be taking, are those going to be online? Then you do have to deal with, okay, well, I have to let them know that there's going to be this assessment, and it's going to be online, and maybe you do have to practice some of those technological skills with them, but then at the same time, you're making them aware of this test. And so, are they going to be like me, an anxious kid, and be psyched out because maybe they've only done writing, or it's just so new to them? I feel like, because technology, well, yes, it is so prevalent, it's also quite new. The internet has only been around for 20 years or so, don't quote me on that, but I just have a little bit more of a traditional mindset on this, where I think, focusing on what's where I think focusing on interpersonal skills, maybe with minimizing technology in that teaching, because I think writing and speaking is enough, and I guess I'm just struggling with the question, how essential is it? Does it need to be something? Do you need to teach students how to type in English when you're teaching them? I was going to say in every language, because yes, this applies to all language teachers. So, do you need to teach them how to type if they don't already know? These are just some things that are on my mind. Another thing, if, say, a student is going to take a test on the computer, and you've prepared them as much as you can, you've been practicing these interpersonal skills, this communicative competence, you feel good as a teacher, they should be able to do this, but this student is not confident in their technological abilities, but they have to take this test that's administered online. Will they have somebody to help them with that? I know it can be really hard for students to get accommodations, depending on what state they're in and what school they go to, the districts, all that. I know it can be really hard for some students. So, I guess what I'm just asking, is it necessarily, is it equitable? Because not all students even have computers at home. They can't even practice if they want to. So, I do understand that technology, again, it is very prevalent, and it is something that maybe students should know. But I think to focus on those interpersonal skills in writing, handwriting first, I personally believe that this is more essential than putting a heavy focus on technology. And I think that it will help students to perform better in tests. And like I said, I'm traditional, I think I'm a bigger fan of paper tests than tests that are administered online. Although technology can help, you know, with audios or videos, pictures, I just struggle with the question if every student knows how to use it, and would they get help if they don't. So, these are just some things to leave you thinking about, you know, when you go back to school on Monday, tomorrow, whenever it is. Maybe you're listening to this on a Thursday, and Friday is your day tomorrow, last day of the week. So, just some things to leave you with and think about when you are going to teach. We talked about communicative competence and interpersonal skills and how these can be really important and prepare students for assessments without making it seem super daunting. Because, again, going back to this quote that I shared at the beginning by Assistant Professor Dr. Santosh, teaching should equip students with the ability to acquire knowledge, to modify existing knowledge on the basis of new experiences, to build new knowledge, and to apply available knowledge to solve problems and make intelligent decisions. I think it's such a great quote. And I think if you're teaching your students, you know, how and when to use the language, that they will perform well on tests. So, just a couple things to think about. Hopefully, you've got some ideas that you can use in your future teaching, and good luck to you all.