Question and Answer 2

Hii again... Below is the answer for my final task in Technology on English Language Teaching class. I would love to share it without reference wkwkwk because i am asked to write it based on what i've  learnt. It should be based on my opinion. Have a look and give comments. I also share the questions given by my lecturer. By chance you can try to answer it based on your opinion hehehe, good luck

1.        Define and differentiate the followings:

            i).        Approach

            ii).      Method

            iii).     Technique

            iv).     Procedures

in teaching a foreign language. To clarify the differences, give at least an example in your concepts of teaching and learning for each of your definition (20%)

2.        What is your definition of “Digital Culture” and explain its roles in teaching and learning a foreign language?.  How does it lead to developing the concepts of Digitagogy as one of several innovative pedagogies in teaching a foreign language (30%).

3.        One of the most difficult approaches in teaching is when you have to deal with autistic pupils, which include dislexia, disculculia, disfraxia and disgraphia. Do your believe in Inclusive Education?  If you do, how would you handle with such a diversed classroom (30%)

4.        What is the Centralized and the Discentralized clouds of media and how the two are managed by a teaching and learning media manager. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the two models of media above (20%).

5.        One of the best ways to bring the reality closer to the students is by authentification of EFL teaching materials. What are the differences between authentic teaching materials and a created teaching materials.  Which one, according to you better of the best? (20% or 30%, depending on your ability to elaborate). 

Answers:

1.    Approach, method, procedure and technique are different. In foreign language teaching, an approach can be defined as a theory of language, a theory of how the language learning occurs or people’s view of how a language is acquired. There are many approaches for language teaching and learning. For an example is direct approach. It comes from a though that foreign language should be learnt directly. It means the language learning occurs through the use of target language and the prohibition of native language in the classroom. Further, an approach is something that will lead us to the method used in language teaching. Therefore, the name of a method usually comes from its approach. As it produces a method, it means the position of approach is higher than method.

A method is an organized way in actualizing the approach to achieve the learning goals. In other word, it is the practice of an approach or theory of language learning. It establishes how teacher should teach including deciding material and activities for their students and establishes how the students should learn or acquire the language. It has at least 10 methods for foreign language teaching. One of them is direct method which comes from direct approach. This method is emphasis on oral interaction, spontaneous use of language, and no translation allowed. Using this method, teacher should teach the language through demonstration, through picture and teach the grammar in implicit way. Meanwhile, the learners emphasized to communicate and think in target language.

Beside, a procedure can be defined as the process for accomplishing the method. It is something that already planned and consists of several steps to be followed. However, it is derived from a method. For example are the procedures of direct method in general are: 1, teacher greats the students; 2, teacher gives the students questions; 3, teacher gives clear instruction and also provides examples; 4, Techer applies the technique such as reading aloud; 5, making conclusion and giving motivation or closing the meeting.

Meanwhile, a technique of teaching can be defined as a certain activity conducted by teacher which differs based on person. In other word, it is an activity chosen by teacher to apply the method in different way from other teachers to create a unique activity for learning. As the result, it can be teacher’s characteristic or style in teaching. In fact, a method usually composed of several techniques. For example, the techniques for applying direct method are reading aloud, dictation, students self-correct, question and answer exercise, conversation practice, mapping and paragraph writing.

2.    In my opinion, digital culture is a situation which all aspect of our life become digitalizes. It is where the advance technology exists and it is when we rely on technology to simplify our life. It gives us opportunity to access lots of information. For example, we can use computer, Wi-Fi, hand-phone, and social media platform such as Instagram, Facebook, twitter, WhatsApp and skypes. In digital culture, we are emphasis to master the technologies in order to survive. However, it has positive and negative impact. Therefore, this situation leads to the development of digital pedagogy. Digital pedagogy is knowledge of teaching from digital. It is the ability of using technology in the right way by considering the good and bad, considering the exact time to use it and considering innovative digital service to successful the learning such as foreign language learning. Digital pedagogy occurs when teacher integrates technology in their teaching practice appropriately. I ever learnt English language over a subject provided by my lecturer called CALL or computer-assisted language learning. This ability in utilizing the technology in teaching foreign language is example of digital pedagogy.

Further, digital culture gives support and allows us to build a platform that is useful for foreign language teaching and learning. For example, if we live in digital culture with digital pedagogy, it has no distance issue faced in teaching and learning. It is because the teaching and learning process does not require face to face meeting due to a teacher can chose whether to teach learning material by using Skype or WebEx. The learning also can be done though collaboration via online network such as using google document, or Facebook group. In short, the technology is used as the tool to make the teaching learning becoming precious and easy. In addition, by digital pedagogy, teacher can make it possible for students to have native speaker in their classroom. In short, digital culture plays important role in simplify and facilitate the foreign language teaching as it develops a creative and innovative method for teaching foreign language.

3.    I do believe in inclusive education as I found out many of its practice. But the successful of this education is depended. It can be depended on teachers, the ways it is implemented and also educational supports. There are at least two teachers being in charge in inclusive classroom; subject teacher, and special tutor. I think the teachers should have a good cooperation to handle the class. We need a good teaching approach for inclusive class and cannot ignore the differences of learners’ characteristics and needs; we have to pay attention to all learners without exception.

There are several things to be considered when teaching an inclusive class. The very first things I should do as subject teacher to handle the class are to figure out and learn about the learners including their habits, needs, abilities and limitations by observing and asking their special tutor. It can help to build a good relationship when I can understand them. Further, by knowing the learners, it can help to set the goals and to know what kind of material and learning styles that is possible and suitable to be applied in the inclusive classroom. It is because the learning material and learning style bring influences to the achievement of learning goals.

After that, I will make a pleasant learning environment. As in inclusive classroom, students with special need learn together with normal students, I should provide them an understanding about special need education. It can be done through telling them a story of great influential people with disabilities. It aims to develop their mutual understanding, to create a feeling of acceptance and to avoid bullying, so that it will make all students feel comfortable being together in the classroom. In addition, I will avoid negative judgment. Rather than commenting on the learners’ inadequacies, it is better to ask about their feeling related to the learning. Even though they are in the same classroom, as teacher I will be fair to all learners. I will grade the learners through variety of assessment tool based on their level.

Further, I will offer accommodation for all learners and make sure to vary the teaching strategy in my classroom. I will consider peer teaching technique so that each student can help their friends to achieve learning goal together. I think it is what an inclusive education use for. Concerning autistic or learner with learning difficulty in general, I will provide extra learning time for them to practice and more time to finish the task. I will provide audiovisual and audiolingual resource for all learners. It will make the learning more interesting and helpful especially for those with special need such as autism, and dyslexic learners. I will teach the learner how to calculate through graphic or card. That is an interesting activity for all student at the same time it will be useful for helping students with dyscalculia. And I will provide the copies of material for all learners, so that it will help if there are students with dyspraxia or dysgraphia in the class. Those are the things I would do as teacher to handle the diverse classroom.

5.    It has two kind of learning material: authentic and created learning material. Authentic material comes from something that is not produce for the purpose of teaching, rather than something in the real world that produced for everyday life. Then, it takes as the material for language study. It can be magazine, newspaper, TV show, video of native speaker’s daily life, song and video lyric. In fact, authentic material is prepared for the native speakers, not the language learner. For example it is prepared by Englishman for the English native. It is used to expose the language in real life and how it is used naturally by native. Therefore, it teaches the naturalness of the language. It can be oral and written material which by todays advance technology it is easy to get. Using this material can cause a problem For EFL learner due to the vocabularies and the pattern of language used in the material that is diverse culturally. They need more effort to understand it.

 Different from the authentic, created material is material that prepare for the purpose of teaching. The preparation should consider the curriculum and some policy in teaching language to the learners. For example in Indonesia, EFL teacher who use it should create the material based on 2013 curriculum. This material is usually in the form of worksheet, grammar book and text book for teacher and students. The characteristic of created material such as using perfectly formed sentences, and the question and answer written in full sentences following the grammar structure. In short, it focuses on grammatical structure which is different from authentic that use naturalness of the language in real situation. Therefore, it requires creativity skill in producing this kind of material to make the learning more fun and meaningful. The problem in creating the material is sometimes it is depended on the taste.

Both materials may have advantages and disadvantages, and are best for teaching language. I belief the effect of its implementation will be different. I think the created material may be helpful for lower level and intermediate level, but it does not really suitable for higher level students. It is because they should already learn about the content, not the form of language anymore. They should already expose to the real situation how the language is used. Moreover, created material can be something boring for higher level as they did not feel challenged. Meanwhile, the authentic material is able to deal with all level of learners be depended on how it is used, such as the task given which should consider the level of learners.

As aimed of teaching language is to expose the learner to the language, and make them able to speak and think in the language, I think it is better to use the authentic material to bring the real situation to the classroom. So that students know how the language used in real life and in real situation. In addition, it can improve their motivation because they know what they learn is the target language. Even though it is hard for EFL learner to understand the authentic material, it can challenge and motivate them to learn. So that as teacher we have to adjust the material with the level of students. Authentic material is also useful for teaching foreign language because it does not only teach the naturalness of target language, but also the cross cultural understanding. As the result, students are not only able to use the language but they also know the native culture.