Thursday, May 5, 2011

Reflection on my critical lesson (added)

 When I first faced to the terms ‘critical learning’ and ‘critical teaching’ in class, I was a bit skeptical. . 

 Many people think education in Korea is like a banking system which is mentioned by Freire and we are all creating cram education and cram schools. Though I also agree with these critical points, I would like to mention about the education that I received when I was in a high school and a university.

 When I was young, I loved writing stories. When I was teenagers, I wrote more than 15 stories and I’m still keeping them. I actually wanted to be a writer and my favorite subject was always Korean literature. If I remember correctly, I didn’t only receive the banking education. I also did some critical activities which required critical thinking. I studied a lot of poetry and novels in a Korean literature class in a high school and many test questions about the literature were not easy. I had to think critically to understand them well. My literature teacher (He was my favorite teacher) used to say this a lot; “Please be flexible when you read poetry and novels. One word can mean many things.” There are a lot of metaphors in poetry. So it was not that easy to understand the one single line of it. I think Korean literature class that I had helped me a lot develop my literacy and think critically. But the problem was that the classroom setting was not powerful enough to engage all students in critical discussion since we all had to stick to studying for the big exam.
 I had taught Korean literature to a high school student as a tutor when I was a university student and I had a really hard time to teach her. Whenever she read some stories, poetry, or articles, she didn’t really understand the main points. Her Korean literature score was always poor. She often complained like this; “I actually don’t know what these questions are all about, and what they want me to answer.” I gave her a book which had many short stories and let her make a one sentence summary for each, but she wasn’t interested in that homework. She only wanted to have a high score from the test.
 When I was a university student, my second major was Advertisement & Journalism. I took a class which was about journalism. Every week, the professor gave us a news article (in Korean of course), which were usually political or about current issues, and wanted us to make a simple but good summary. The professor was very strict and a little bit scary. He was never satisfied with our summaries. He always said that how we couldn’t make a good summary. I still remember his moan.
“Can’t you read Korean? How could you say that you are a university student?”

 Anyway what I thought about literacy was this; it’s not that easy to get even with our own language. That’s why I was a little skeptical about critical activities in second language learning since they are difficult to be conducted even in first language. I didn’t know what I should do with my beginner students who can say only very simple things in English. But when I did a presentation in class with many coursebooks to talk about some potential problems, I realized that I was wrong. What I have to consider is not my students’ language proficiency but the classroom setting or activities which can make them be engaged with full of interests. When I did a presentation in class, I heard this; “Every woman is young and slim,” and this is very easy sentence that my students also can make. After my presentation, I decided to use English coursebooks in my class for my critical lesson, and the result was beyond my expectation. In general, I hoped that my students could more actively participate in the discussion with critical views about the coursebooks. So that they could have a wider perception on the all kinds of books they can find in a bookstore or they get in the institute. They are somehow passive learners since the coursebook in the institute are already designated. If they can have oppositional views, they might be able to choose their own coursebook and they also might be able to resist some with reasonable reasons. Then the institute (where has the power to choose the books) may have to consider learners’ own opinions better than before. I hope that we have the same power for language learning. I mean learners, teachers, and the others from outside like researchers, publishers and organizations. Sometimes it’s hard for learners to realize that they can have the power to choose their own tastes in language learning. I think we need to make them awake and it is one of important roles as a teacher.

 I expected that they would be a bit shy to answer to my discussion question. When I asked, “what do you think of our coursebook? Do you like it or not?”, they gave a lot of opinions like below.

S1: It’s not good.
T: Why not?
S1: No grammar.
T: You mean grammar explanations?
S1: Yes, no grammar explanation. It’s just simple, and no vocabulary.
T: What else?
S2: No real pictures.
T: Yes, right. There are no real pictures. Do you prefer real pictures to illustrations?
S2: I like real pictures.
T: Why?
S2: Understand well.
T: I see. Anything else? What about speaking activities in a book? Do you like them?
S3: No, I don’t.
T: Why not?
S3: Too simple. Boring. Not fun.

I knew that they were ready to do some critical task though they are not really good at speaking English. I divided them into three groups and gave a different coursebook which were all for beginners. I also gave them a worksheet and let them find some problems and strengths. They seemed very interested in knowing that there are a lot of coursebooks for their level and they all look different. They compared the book with their own coursebook (which was not my intention, but it was nice to hear their ideas about the coursebook that we are actually using in class), and also discussed the problems of the coursebooks. Sometimes they found some good things. One interesting thing was that if there are no kind grammar explanations, they considered it as a problem. I could understand why publishers want grammar in their coursebooks as Thornbury said in his article. Even though they were beginners, they seemed to dislike too simple activities and dialogues. They all agreed that the coursebook we are using is not that good. I hope that they could gradually develop their critical views so that they can hopefully change the system in the institute where they are studying by spending money through this kind of lessons.
 After some time, I gave them another worksheet and let them upgrade one of the poor activity from the book they criticized or make their own and creative speaking activity. But the time was not enough. I told them that we would continue this lesson tomorrow, and I would give about 15 minutes to prepare their own activities. I also announced that each team should demonstrate their own activity to lead the class and meantime they would also evaluate each activity. Next day, I was surprised to know that they were already all prepared. They said that they went to a café together after class and made the activities. In class, we did those three activities, and I could see that they were all very excited. Their participation was also much better than before. At that time I sat like a student and participated in the activities that they made. I thought second team’s activity was nice and well made, but my students liked the first activity which was a speed game.

 I’m sure that they also enjoyed the critical lesson since they discussed for a long time than I expected, gave a lot of ideas, and also they made the activity after class in a café. I think because they were all adults and when I said that they have their own right to criticize the book that they are studying with, it somehow touched their cognitive process. But when they did the activities they made, I could see a lot of similarities with my teaching style. Three activities are all very similar with activities that I already conducted in class. That wasn’t my intention since I wanted to see wholly new ones different from ones in a book or I made. I’m not sure that this was bad or not, but I realized that I have a quite strong power in class and my job is not that simple since I may change their beliefs, opinions or anything even though it could be a very small part in their life.   

 After this lesson, I decided to have some critical lessons with regular classes during the two months’ course. I really want my students to be flexible, be open-minded, see something with various views, to be engaged and motivated in English learning, so hopefully they can be the active learners with intrinsic motivation. And to lead them to this goal, as a language teacher, I realized that I should make an appropriate classroom setting to engage them in critical and active learning. 

 Barriers? Well, luckily I don’t have a lot of barriers. I don’t have to worry about any official tests or my students grades. I don’t have to push my students to memorize a lot of vocabulary or grammar rules. I can do whatever activities that I want to do in class. Students’ language level? Well, I saw the possibility through this lesson. I can do critical activities with my beginner students though I’m little bit concerned about defining the term ‘critical activity’. In general, as a teacher I want my students achieve their goals with my lessons and see the language as a tool to do something they want to do not the object to study itself. 

Mr. / Mrs. / Miss. / Ms.

When I opened my coursbook a few years ago, I found these four things in the first unit. (Introducing yourself) Some students asked the reason for using three for women. (In Korean, we only have just one for both men and women.) I couldn't explain well at that time.

Why are there two more for women?
Ms. was made later than Mrs. and Miss. Then who made it? For what reason?

It has been more than 50 years (Am I correct?) since it was made by feminists. But many people (men & women both) just use Mrs. Miss., and prefer to use it. Why? ...

I was just wondering..


(GIrl Number Twenty)

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Critical Pedagogy, Critical Teaching, Critical Learning...

Critical Pedagogy in an EFL Teaching Context: An ignis fatuus or an Alternative Approach?

What is critical pedagogy? It may sound like stupid, but I really want to know. While I was reading the article (Critical Pedagogy in an EFL Teaching...), I realized that I had no idea about critical pedagogy or I may have misunderstood the concept. I couldn't focus on the reading since the author briefly decribed the participants and the topics for the lesson.

..22 EFL learners, both male and female, who seem to be diminished and held in minority by the dominant culture of the non-natives were involved. Their ages were between 18 to 29, they were from different educational backgrounds and different cultures. All of them had passed 12 levels of study in language institutions and were participating in a "Chat Course", a free discussion class, to improve their general proficiency and fluency.

Why did this author choose students from only one level which is the highest level in English? At the begining of the article, the author criticized the Audio Lingual Method with two more methods since these are not the method which apply the real outer world to learning. I totally agreed. But as a language teacher, I'm wondering, who uses the Audio Lingual Method for students who are the highest level? Do you? It's very easy to conduct some critical lessons with high level students. Before I took this TESOL course, I'd never tried to bring some sensitive issues into class for my beginner students because I thought it might be impossible, but I did bring many social and sensitive issues into class for the high level students such as gender roles, death penalty, environmental problems, traffic jams in Korea, and more. And many other teachers who teach high level students usually bring some problematic issues for their students. After I took several classes in a graduate school, I'm thinking that I should conduct some critical lessons for my beginner students as well. That's what I'm learning in class. But the author chose high level (actually very high level) students as her participants. Why? For me, it seems like she may have an assumption that usually high level students are capable of doing some ciritical activities. I also want to talk about topics the author chose for the critical lesson.

Topics selected were the following: gender discrimination, cultural invasion and internet filtering, anomie, religion, job opportunity, the society's view of Azad University, prohibition of traditional dress, army service, prohibition of Bandari songs and dance.

I would like to know if there are any teachers who can make very productive discussion class with these topics for beginners. My students are adults, and I know they can discuss these things in their mother tongue, but I'm not sure about in English. Will they enjoy my class if I bring these topics? Or will they complain to my boss about my lesson because it's too difficult? Why all topics are all about problems? Can't we make critical lesson without talking about problems, issues, and something political? I enjoyed the activity when professor showed some ads (maybe in class last semester) and let us think of the advertiser, targets, and the messages. I also enjoyed the activity when he showed a picture (in SLA class) and let us guess the meaning of the picture (which was drown by an ape). I also very much enjoyed when my high school teacher let us guess the meaning of metaphors in poetry. As a teacher, I enjoyed when my students gave a lot of interesting opinions about their coursebook, and when they made their own (cute, interesting) activites. I also enjoyed when my students made their dream neighborhood and explained the reason why they think it's good. Aren't these activites critical? These are the ones that I cannot connect with real world? I read many readings in class, and many of them talk about racism, feminism, political issues, power, problems... Why do we think of political or social problems first when we think of critical pedgogy?
Critical learning means finding problems only? What is the real purpose for the critical pedagogy?

(I've read a book "Flowers for Algernon". This is about the man who was metally challenged and then became a genius after a special experiment and finally became mentally challenged again. When he was not smart, he was happy and he thought every person around him was trustful. He thought the world was beautiful. And then he became a genius. He realized that the world is not good. The people were all using him because he was stupid. He had many things to solve and to think about. He became so obsessed. Because the experiment had a critical problem, he became stupid again. He started to smile. He was happy. He liked everyone around him.)

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Lesson Plan (Critical Activity)

Coursebooks, Awalys Good?

I got my lesson plan idea from my presentation. I thought it might be a good idea to let my student have a chance to look at their own coursebok as a different view. I also expected they might have different ideas with us, I mean language teachers, since they would go through the book as a learner's view.

Students level & Age: Beginners or above & Adults
Aim:
a.       to introduce various coursebooks (the same levels) and make students be aware of the purposes or aims for each one and hopefully to make them be aware of the differences
b.       to get them have the chance to see the coursebook with a different view, not as a helper for their studying but as a object to criticize  
c.        to get them have the chance to see themselves not just as a receiver from all the materials of the coursebooks but as an active learner who can criticize the coursebooks, choose the one they like, be flexible, have various views, and hopefully to resist some if necessary

Possible Problems: Language Perfomance (English)
Activities:
  1. As a warm-up activity, Ss can give any ideas about their own coursebook.
  2. After they are ready to do some critical activities, T teaches some basic expressions for discussion. (I think.. I gues... You're right but... etc)
  3. T gives a different coursebook to each group. (Which is the same level with their own coursebook.)
  4. Ss criticize the coursebook talking about problems and solutions. (With a worksheet)
  5. Ss choose a poor activity from the book, and upgrade it.
  6. One member from each group leads the class with the activity they upgraded by themselves.
  7. All students evaluate each activity.
Worksheets

Worksheet 1) Language Structures

Are you ready to be involved in discussion?

Giving Your Opinions
I think… 
ex. I think this is not good. 
I guess…
ex. I guess this picture has some problems.
In my opinion, …
ex. In my opinion, this should be changed.
Let’s… 
ex. Let’s change this.

Agreeing & Disagreeing
-I agree with you./ You’re right./ That’s right./ I also think so./ That’s a good idea./ I totally agree with you.
-I don’t agree with you./ I disagree with you./ I don’t think so./ I don’t know./ You’re right, but I think…/ You’re wrong.

Asking Questions
What do you think?
How about this?
Why don’t we choose this one?

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Worksheet 2) Criticizing a coursebook

Coursebook, always good?

Name of a coursebook ______________________________
Overall Opinion for the book:
Excellent / Very good / Good / Ok / Not good / Poor 

What’s bad?


Problems
How to improve?
Pictures
1.
2.


Topic /Conversation
1.
2.


Vocabulary
1.
2.


Grammar
1.
2.


Activities
1.
2.




















What’s good?

Any Strength?
Why good?




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Worksheet 3) Making an activity

Make Your Own Activity!
Make it Fun, Interesting, Helpful, Exciting!

Topic ______________
Target Grammar or Expressions or Vocabulary __________________
Main Language Skill: Speaking / Listening / Writing / Reading
How to do it
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
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Worksheet 4) Evaluation form

Activity 1
Great / Very good / Good / Not good / Poor

Activity 2
Great / Very good / Good / Not good / Poor

Activity 3
Great / Very good / Good / Not good / Poor

Why we should learn another language



This is a fun ad. I usually show this to my students at the first day to engage them in the discussion. (Why we should learn English)