Student’s Handbook
Didactics and EFL
Hermilo Gómez Hernández
Cd. Del Carmen, Campeche
July 2007
Table of Contents
General Introduction ………………………………………………………………………..General Course Objective …………………………………………………………………
1. Introduction to the Course ……………………………………………………………
2. Didactics and the Teaching of English as a Foreign Language ………….
2.1 Objective ………………………………………………………………………………….
2.2 Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………
2.3 Didactics in the EFL Classroom ……………………………………………………
2.3.1 Study Questions ……………………………………………………………………..
2.3.2 Defining Didactics ……………………………………………………………………
2.3.3 Didactics in the Class Planning and Management ……………………….
2.4 The Teacher and the Learner in the EFL Classroom ………………………
2.4.1 Study Questions ……………………………………………………………………..
2.4.2 The Teacher’s Role in the EFL Class ………………………………………….
2.4.3 The Learner ……………………………………………………………………………
2.5 The Class ………………………………………………………………………………….
2.5.1 Study Questions ……………………………………………………………………..
2.5.2 Class Planning ……………………………………………………………………….
2.6 Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………………..
2.7 Exercises …………………………………………………………………………………..
2.8 References ………………………………………………………………………………..
3. The Selection and Use of Supplementary Materials and Teaching Aids
3.1 Objective ………………………………………………………………………………….
3.2 Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………
3.2. Study Questions ……………………………………………………………………….
3.4 Supplementary Materials …………………………………………………………….
3.5 The Selection and Use of Teaching Aids ……………………………………….
3.6 Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………………
3.7 Exercises ……………………………………………………………………………………
3.8 References ……………………………………………………………………………….. / 3
4
5
9
10
10
10
10
11
12
13
13
13
16
18
18
18
21
21
23
24
25
25
25
26
27
28
28
29
General Introduction
Language teachers are always looking for opportunities to better their teaching practice, to be updated in their field of study and work, and to learn from others by sharing experiences gathered through practice. Then, participation in continuing education workshops, courses or programmes are an exceptional option to match theirs needs and interests.
Welcome to this course! The way this course was design has the purpose of creating a community in which sharing experience, talking to each other, discussing and communicating favour the participant learning process. These experiences are thought to have a positive impact on the participant personal interest and wish for learning.
The goal of this course is that the participants reflect about the English as a Foreign Language teaching and learning process by analysing the methodological and theoretical principles established by the foreign language didactics. This course will provide you with the insights enough to explain what is going in your classroom. So you will be able to make proper decision about your teaching practice. These decisions will be the product of a reflection process supported by a theoretical background.
This course addresses mainly two themes. The first one is related to didactics and the elements implicated in the teaching and learning process: the teacher, the learner, and the class planning. The second section has to do with the selection and use of materials and teaching aids. These two topics will provide you with an ample panorama about the practice of the profession.
The knowledge will be constructed by means of reading, discussing, sharing experience and reflecting about our own life. That is why active participation is a crucial element in the development of this course. Respect for other opinions is also vital because it is expected to construct an environment of confidence, and effective communication.
General Course Objective:
Learners will reflect about the English as a Foreign Language teaching and learning process by analysing the methodological and theoretical principles established by the foreign language didactics with 70% of accuracy.
Section 1
Introduction
To the
Course
Learning Objectives
a) General objectives:
Learners will reflect about the English as a Foreign Language teaching and learning process by analysing the methodological and theoretical principles established by the foreign language didactics
b) Specific objectives:
a. Learners will analyse the principles that describes the interaction among the different elements that intervene in the process of teaching and learning.
b. Learners will identify and reflect about the characteristics that define a foreign language learner and teacher, and their impact in the class planning.
c. Learners will plan a class that covers with the elements that respond to their teaching context and needs.
d. Learners will evaluate the relevance of the selection and use of supplementary materials and teaching aids in the EFL Classroom.
Introduction to the course
Continuing education is one of the alternatives for professionals interested in their professional development. Continuing education programmes offer a set of workshops, seminars or courses to cover with the demands of the target communities. In this sense, the course of EFL and Didactics tries to fulfil one of those blanks in the EFL teachers training programmes.
The goal for this course is to make the learner reflect about the English as a Foreign Language teaching and learning process by analysing the methodological and theoretical principles established by the foreign language didactics. Learners will be benefited with this course because they will have the opportunity to analyse their own teaching practice. They are going to construct their knowledge by sharing experiences and communicating with other colleagues. This will make the revision of the content of this course be meaningful for the participants.
As you can see, this course starts by discussing the importance of the Didactics and TEFL. This section shows how elements such as the teacher, the learner and the class planning works in the EFL classroom, and how each of them may affect the language teaching and learning.
The second part of this course is dedicated to the Selection and Use of Suplementary Materials and Teaching Aids. In this section, a refelection is arisen about the relevance of these resources in the EFL classroom.
Therefore, active participation is key in the development of this course. Participation will be a useful tool to generate discussion and share knowledge and teaching experiencies that will lead us understand the concepts revised in the literature. Respect for peers’ opinion is a must. One way for building effective communication is to know how to listen and respond withoun being rude. If all we observe this policy, we are going to make the most from this course.
Session development
This is the beginning of a new experience; for this reason, the first sesion will be dedicate to introduce students to the course. In this session diferent activities will be carried out so that both teachers and students create an atmosphere of conficende and comfort.
The first activity to be perform has to do with the presentation of the participants. In this activity, students will say their names and nicknames. This is significant because it leads us to know each other. During the development of the course we are going to be demanded to work in groups, either for presentation or project development.
The second activity is concerned with the course expectations. At this point of the class both the instructor and the students will have a chance to learn more about each other and express what they expect from the course and themselves.
The following activity is related to the content presentation. In this point of this session, students are presented the topics they are going to revise and talk about.
Another essential part in the course develeopment is the evaluation mechanisms. The instructor will explain the participants all the ins and outs they have to cover so that they obtain the course passing grade.
In the last minutes of the sesion, participants will be handed out a diagnostic quiz. The purpose of the quiz is to provide the teacher with an idea about the participant familiarity with the course content.
Conclusion
This session is especially designed to introduce the participants to the course. This session is also a good opportunity to explain what the course is about and how it will work. This is also a good moment for discussing, negotiating and agreeing some basic rules for the course management.
Section 2
Didactics and the Teaching of English as a Foreign Language
2.1 Objective
Learners analyse the principles which describe the interaction of the different elements in the teaching and learning process in a foreign language classroom with 70% of accuracy.
2.2 Introduction
Language teachers are always concerned with their practices in the classroom. This is why practitioners are looking for opportunities to talk, discuss and share experiences about their beliefs.
The goal for this section is to make participant analyse the principles that describes the roles of teachers, the characteristics of learners, and the class planning. A reflection about how the teacher and the learner behave in the classroom will lead practitioners to make better decisions about the class planning and management. Therefore, the actions performed in class should help students be successful in the learning process.
In order to reach the section goal, it will be firstly talked about the didactics and its impact in the classroom interaction. Then, the teacher’s role in the class room will be discussed. Later, the student’s characteristics will be described. Finally, class planning is the last element addressed.
In the development of this section, it is expected your active participation when performing the activities proposed. Your participation is important because sharing experience will make this course very enriching.
2.3 Didactics in the EFL Classroom
2.3.1 Study Questions
What is didactics? How is didactics linked to the teaching and learning process? How is didactics linked to the class planning and management?
2.3.2 Defining Didactics
Teaching and learning are processes which have happened from ancient times. One of the disciplines in charged of the description of these processes, and the relation of them to different elements in the classroom is didactics.
According to Gutiérrez (2001), didactics is a discipline which studies the relationship between teaching and learning. Pansza (1986) also comments that didactics approaches differently to the classroom work. In the following chart, it is possible to look at it clearly.
Then, it can be said that didactics may be defined in two ways, as the art of teaching or as the discipline about teaching. In the first sense, the art, it is being expected that didactics explains the process as the “practical cognitive quality, the inner skill to produce specific tasks” (Gutiérrez, 2001:14). This is, the ability teachers show to communicate knowledge to others, to make easier for students to understand the content they are learning.
In the second sense, didactics as the science refers to “clear, ordered and supported concept in theory” (Gutiérrez, 2001:15). It is also believed that to know about the methodology is not enough to acquire the art of teaching. But, it is a required step to reach that art, if a teacher is not a born-gifted. From this perspective, it can be stated that this discipline has two objects of study (Gutiérrez, 2001:15):
1. The teaching – learning process
2. The teaching – learning techniques and methods
Therefore, according to Gutiérrez (2001:15), didactics is the “science which studies the teaching – learning phenomena as prescriptive aspects of an efficient methodology.” That is to say, this discipline deals with the formal aspects of teaching, methodology and all elements that interact within the classroom.
2.3.3 Didactics in the Class Planning and Management
Since didactics describes the procedures to be followed in class to cause learning in students, some areas of reflection arise as well. Didactics concerns about objectives, teaching, motivation, discipline in class, communication, evaluation and, methods and techniques.
Objectives play a key role in the learning process because they lead the actions and activities to be performed so that learning happens. That is why, questions such as the followings are formulated: What is learning? Is there anything else to learn?
Teaching is defined as the way a topic is clearly explained. It is worried about the way students may understand the topic and how they internalise knowledge. Didactics tries to research if teaching is reduced to explanations, or if it goes beyond, the role of teacher in the class, as well as the content to be addressed.
Motivation is also an affective factor that usually concerns teachers. Teachers wonder why, if they give clear explanations, the class shows no interest. That is what this discipline wants to explain.
Discipline in class is also an element which exerts some influence in variables like behaviour, attention, effort, punctuality among others. These are some elements which should be considered when planning the class and organising the group work.
Interpersonal communication is basic in this learning process since human beings are the main actors in this course of action. This implies an active interaction between them – teachers and students. Besides, human interaction is also vital to be aware about how different elements interact with each other and how they affect the communicative process.
Evaluation is an important part in this process because it let us know how much the course objective was fulfilled. It describes the output students reached. Evaluation is also used as an instrument that provides information not only about students, but also about the course organization itself.
The last elements concerned with didactics are the teaching – learning methods and techniques designed. What is intended is to explain which methods, techniques or approaches are better if students’ characteristics are taken into account.
In conclusion, it does not matter if didactics is an art or a science, but it tries to explain the relationships hold among the different elements in class, it does not prescribe, it rather describes procedures to approach and understand the education phenomenon. It also sets a series of questions with the purpose of making people grasp why these or those results are obtained in classroom.
2.4 The Teacher and the Learner in the EFL Classroom
2.4.1 Study Questions
What role do teachers play in the classroom? What characteristics should a language learner have? How do learning styles and strategies influence the learner’s performance in class?
2.4.2 The teacher’s Role in the EFL Class
Teaching and learning is a dynamic process in which many elements interact to make this act possible and successful. One of these factors is the role teachers play in class. As teachers of EFL, it is vital to be aware of attitudes shown towards the students’ performance in different moments of the class.
A role, then, can be defined as the “actor’s part; one’s function, what person or thing is appointed or expected to do” (Concise Oxford Dictionary, 1982 in Wright, 1987:3). This is, teachers play different roles depending on the class plan and the activities to carry out. Teachers sometimes lead the class, organize students, and monitor students’ work among others.