Based upon my own teaching experience, most of the language learning tasks fall on the flexibility continnum point 3, which indicates that the learning system is basically restricted, with a limited set of choices though.
The reason for my putting it this way is mainly due to the following two points:
1. it's basically restricted because on the whole, students are supposed to perform fixed tasks with low flexibility in the design and outcomes. As regards the classroom activity, students are not allowed to have free choices. For example, in the multi-media classroom where modern means of instructional technology are at hand, the common practice during class hours for the instructor is ironically to operate the machine like a tachnician. Specific needs for different students at different levels won't be taken into consideration. In this sense, we can say it's just sort of conversion of existing print-based materials to Web format without catering to varied target language learners' special needs;
2. fortunately, due to the improvement of teaching and learning methodology, our students are sometimes given choices about their coures to be taken based on their 1 week class attending as an auditor at the beginning of a new semester; besides, they are allowed to use the multi-functional language lab within the allocated period of time (after class), during which they can get free access to movies, recordings and some live materials on line, which may help them to meet specific needs.
Personally, I don't think those so called "liberated" or "free" tasks can be easily incorporated into our teaching because of the lack of both necessary "hardwares" and "softwares". By saying this I mean that on the one hand, we can not afford to be equipped with all those modern means of instruction that will be necessitated; on the other hand, we instructors have not been well trained to adopt practice that way as idealized. There is still a long way to go I think before we can truely liberate the language learning tasks.
3 comments:
Dear Cathy, our teaching experience is quite similar in that the learning system is basically restricted and closed. Admittedly, change is underway but slow and time-consuming. Anyway, slight change is better than no change at all, especially when the change is beneficial. In China, it's always not so easy for reforms to take place on a large scale due to various reasons. But however tough it is, with more and more efforts being put in integrating IT into instruction, the comparatively liberated language learning prospect suitable in Chinese context would not be a dream.
It's truly not easy to put the "liberated" and "free" systems of teaching and learning into practice in China. The lack of teacher training is a big problem. Though some basic training about IT literary has been carried out in most universities, the practical effects are not obvious yet. What we need most are the more practical skills that we can grasp and put into use in our classroom with different level of modern teaching aids and to meet different learning needs of the students.
Any way I am glad to have the chance to know more about IT in NIE, especially through courses like GLT410, which widened my view in this field, and I plan to try out some ideas in my own classes after I go back to China.
Dear Cathy,
I think we have the same embarrassment that "in the multi-media classroom where modern means of instructional technology can be applied, our common practice in class is to operate the machine in a fixed way". We are fortunate enough in that we are equipped with advanced technology, and unfortunate in that we are not trained how to make the best use of it. Luckily we have this course which at least opens an window for us in the field.
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