Unit 5: What can I learn from others?
Issac Newton is famously quoted as saying, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on
the shoulders of giants.” This is abundantly true for those in the teaching profession. Many
hours of research, trial and error and personal experience has shaped the teachers that have
come before us. It would be arrogant to believe that we don’t need to humbly study the findings,
writings and posts of experienced English language educators. We have the privilege of access
to decades of detailed methods, approaches and techniques. In the age of the internet, we have
so many resources at our fingertips, why not take advantage of them. We have much to learn
from those who have explored unknown territory and unpaved paths before us.
I would like to highlight 3 topics that were discussed in this unit that peaked my interest:
deductive vs inductive teaching, the use of authentic materials and who has control of the
language learning in the classroom.
deductive vs inductive teaching, the use of authentic materials and who has control of the
language learning in the classroom.
Deductive vs. Inductive Teaching: This is a topic I am very curious about! I work in a
highschool EAL classroom where the style of our program is submersion into regular stream
classes. We have an EAL room that is always open to the students for help. High school
students come to help during their spares and elementary and middle school students are
pulled out of their homerooms to work with an EA for 30-60 minutes at a time. There really
isn’t time, space, or energy for a lot of deductive, direct English language instruction, especially
with the highschool students who have demanding schedules and are often stressed about
completing their regular stream academic work. The general methodology of our program has
been predominantly inductive style language learning. At times I’ve wondered if there we are
doing them a disservice by not doing more direct teaching about the ins and outs of English.
I agree that inductive learning that results some submersion is substantial and beneficial for
survival/social language use. What is made evident in their reading and writing is that they are
weak in the specifics of sentence structure and vocabulary. Perhaps the more technical aspects
of language are harder to just “pick up”? Surely there is a balance that needs to be struck. I
would like to learn more about what the research says about the effectiveness of direct and
indirect teaching. Should we focus on one more than the other in our future classrooms?
highschool EAL classroom where the style of our program is submersion into regular stream
classes. We have an EAL room that is always open to the students for help. High school
students come to help during their spares and elementary and middle school students are
pulled out of their homerooms to work with an EA for 30-60 minutes at a time. There really
isn’t time, space, or energy for a lot of deductive, direct English language instruction, especially
with the highschool students who have demanding schedules and are often stressed about
completing their regular stream academic work. The general methodology of our program has
been predominantly inductive style language learning. At times I’ve wondered if there we are
doing them a disservice by not doing more direct teaching about the ins and outs of English.
I agree that inductive learning that results some submersion is substantial and beneficial for
survival/social language use. What is made evident in their reading and writing is that they are
weak in the specifics of sentence structure and vocabulary. Perhaps the more technical aspects
of language are harder to just “pick up”? Surely there is a balance that needs to be struck. I
would like to learn more about what the research says about the effectiveness of direct and
indirect teaching. Should we focus on one more than the other in our future classrooms?
Authentic Materials: I see a big benefit in using authentic materials in the EAL classroom for
the following reasons. First, from my experience in the classroom using authentic materials
that students encounter in their real everyday lives peaks the interest of the students. When
there is a personal connection with the material, students are more engaged and are more
likely to remember the lesson. Students who are interested and engaged are students who are
learning. Secondly, it’s efficient to use materials that students will encounter in real life because
you are equipping them with the decoding skills they will need along with giving yourself
opportunities to incorporate cultural and social teaching as well. Thirdly, using authentic
resources are easy to obtain, are often free and you can get multiple copies at once. Can’t
argue with that!
the following reasons. First, from my experience in the classroom using authentic materials
that students encounter in their real everyday lives peaks the interest of the students. When
there is a personal connection with the material, students are more engaged and are more
likely to remember the lesson. Students who are interested and engaged are students who are
learning. Secondly, it’s efficient to use materials that students will encounter in real life because
you are equipping them with the decoding skills they will need along with giving yourself
opportunities to incorporate cultural and social teaching as well. Thirdly, using authentic
resources are easy to obtain, are often free and you can get multiple copies at once. Can’t
argue with that!
Who is in control of the learning in the classroom?: This is something that challenged me
and sparked my imagination. Does the teacher control the learning in the classroom or do the
students? EAL communities are there to serve the needs of students. Their needs determine
how and what we teach. If the perceived or vocalized needs of students are being not fulfilled
then we as teachers we need to reevaluate our methods and goals. Is the curriculum actually
equipping our students to survive and thrive in English speaking Canada? I think this was a
humbling realization for me that my role is to serve and to be sensitive and trustworthy enough
for my students to let me into their worlds and share their needs and struggles. They may have
needs that they aren’t aware of and I can plainly see, they may have trouble identifying what
they need. It’s my role to lead them and teach them in a winsome and empathetic way,
empowering them to emerge into the modern Canadian world with the tools they need.
and sparked my imagination. Does the teacher control the learning in the classroom or do the
students? EAL communities are there to serve the needs of students. Their needs determine
how and what we teach. If the perceived or vocalized needs of students are being not fulfilled
then we as teachers we need to reevaluate our methods and goals. Is the curriculum actually
equipping our students to survive and thrive in English speaking Canada? I think this was a
humbling realization for me that my role is to serve and to be sensitive and trustworthy enough
for my students to let me into their worlds and share their needs and struggles. They may have
needs that they aren’t aware of and I can plainly see, they may have trouble identifying what
they need. It’s my role to lead them and teach them in a winsome and empathetic way,
empowering them to emerge into the modern Canadian world with the tools they need.
All this to say, we as future educators have much to learn from others. We must be careful to
be humble, teachable and take on our role with a sense of adventure and flexibility. Standing
of the shoulders of giants, we can see much further sights, let’s enjoy the view!
References
be humble, teachable and take on our role with a sense of adventure and flexibility. Standing
of the shoulders of giants, we can see much further sights, let’s enjoy the view!
References
[Illustration of Issac Newton] (2019). Retrieved from
http://www.davidebonazzi.com/news
[Photograph of Hiker] (2019). Retrieved from:
https://theblazingahead.com/standing-shoulders-giants/
[Illustration of Hikers] (2019). Retrieved from:
http://www.davidebonazzi.com/news
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