Multimodality and multiliteracies in English language education
Dear valued readers and contributors,
Namaste!
We are sixteen! It gives us immense pleasure to release the sixteenth-anniversary issue of ELT Choutari. This relentless journey wouldn’t have been possible without your support, contribution, and affection. We are thankful to our readers, contributors, friends, and critics for everything they have contributed thus far.
This issue on multimodality and multiliteracies in English language education not only presents blog posts and conversations across multiple modalities but also captures educators’ practices of integrating multimodality and multiliteracies in their classes.
This issue transcends traditional modes of composition and publications. We have moved beyond the written mode to include video, visual and oral modes in this issue. It aligns with The New London Group’s (2000) conceptualization of multimodality, which recognizes changing landscape of communication by incorporating modes such as texts, visuals, audio, gestures, and spatial elements. Expanding this, Cope and Kalantzis (2013) added tactile mode into communication and meaning making as well as distinguished written mode from oral. The ability to communicate and construct meaning out of those modes are generally referred to as multiliteracies. Based on the authors’ contributions and the classroom practices in this issue, educators and students in Nepal’s classrooms are incorporating multimodality in English language teaching and learning to the extent possible. To further advance it, curricula, and pre-service/in-service teacher preparation programs must deliberately cultivate the knowledge and skills of teachers and students to effectively integrate multimodality and multiliteracies for equitable learning opportunities.
This issue is also notably remarkable for transcending across languages, leveraging the strength of bilingualism and it breaks the traditional hierarchy between authors and reviewers. In this issue we have gone bilingual, switching between languages, to recognize contributors’ linguistic repertoire and reflect their natural communication practices. It thus provides insights for educators of multilingual students about the possibilities of incorporating asset-based pedagogies such as translanguaging (García & Kleyn 2016). Similarly, we have pushed the hierarchy and boundary between authors and reviewers. Based on our years of experience supporting emerging authors and educators to write and publish, we have found that they thrive when offered mentorship support, rather than simply having their contributions accepted or rejected based on blind review. This issue further affirms the value of mentorship for emerging authors. Touching on the process in this issue, we invited interested authors to participate in a series of group and one-on-one workshop sessions, leading to the creation of first drafts. Feedback to their drafts were provided through face-to-face one-on-one sessions, which were proved very effective as it avoided confusion and miscommunication between the authors and reviewers. The orientation of these mentoring sessions was geared towards helping them articulate their ideas effectively and recognize suitable modes of composition. As a result, Choutari successfully welcomed two additional first-time authors through the mentorship sessions, a feat that would not have been achievable through the traditional blind review process alone.
We also celebrate the diversity in contents and modalities of presentation. In the blogs, we have covered teachers’ good practices, such as incorporating activities that promote multimodality and multiliteracies, implementing project-based learning in under-resourced classrooms, integrating ICT in classrooms including the use of social media for building virtual communities to scaffold each other. In conversation with teachers and teacher educators, the interview has dived deep into Nepal’s English language curricula, materials and pedagogy. In terms of modality, the blogs and conversations range from visual essays, audio-visual narratives, podcasts to video conversations. Let’s hear from the authors:
Here is the link of blogs, interview and a bonus content:
Finally, we would like to thank our reviewers Nanibabu Ghimire, Puskar Chaudhary, Karuna Nepal, Sagar Poudel, Jnanu Raj Paudel and Mohan Singh Saud,for their valuable contribution.
If you enjoy the multimodal publications in this issue, please feel free to share them in your circle and leave comments and questions for the contributors.
Meanwhile, we encourage you to contribute to our next issue (July- September) and send blog pieces and reflections to 2elt.choutari@gmail.com.
Happy exploring!
Jeevan Karki, the lead editor of the issueGanesh Bastola, Co-Editor
References
Cope, B., & Kalantzis, M. (2013). “Multiliteracies”: New Literacies, New Learning. In M. R. Hawkins (Ed.), In Framing languages and literacies (pp. 105–135). Routledge.
García, O., & Kleyn, T. (Eds.). (2016). Translanguaging with multilingual students: Learning from classroom moments. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
The New London Group. (2000). A Pedagogy of Multiliteracies: Designing Social Futures. In B. Cope & M. Kalantzis (Eds.), A Pedagogy of Multiliteracies: Designing Social Futures (First). Routledge.
The interview explores English language teachers’ perceptions and practices of ELT curricula, materials and pedagogy in private and public schools including commentary from a teacher educator and researcher. It leaves us to ponder many genuine facets left unaddressed in the curriculum and materials development in our context. The conversation highlights significant issues regarding the curriculum development process, specifically the exclusion of teachers and communities from this process. It captures practitioners’ concerns about using a single textbook across all schools in the country. The thought-provoking conversation also opens up possibilities of doing things in a better way.
The audience of the interview are policymakers, curriculum planners, pre/in-service English language teachers, and researchers.
Facilitated by Binod Duwadi, the speakers are Anju Chimariya, Ram Krishan Puri, Umesh Saud and Jeevan Karki. Here are their bios:-
Anju Kumari Chimariya: Mrs. Chimariya holds M Ed. in English education. She has been teaching English in a foreign language context for a long. Now she is a secondary English teacher at Shree Ratna Rajya Secondary School, Nagarjun 7.
Ram Krishan Puri: Mr Puri is an M.Phil. Research Scholar at Kathmandu University School of Education. He has been teaching English in a foreign language setting for a long and now he is an English Language Teacher at Thulo Chaur Secondary School, Jwalamukhi-2, Dhading. His research interests include applied linguistics and curriculum planning and policy.
Umesh Saud: Mr. Saud has earned an M.Phil. in English. He is the head of the English Department at DAV school, Jawalakhel. He has also been working as a sub-editor for The Himalayan Times since 2017. His research interests revolve around literature and human rights, and curriculum design and implementation.
Jeevan Karki: Mr. Karki is a multilingual educator and scholar. He has worked across diverse K-12 and higher education and non-profit settings as an educator and teacher educator. Now, he is a doctoral student and teacher educator at the teacher education department, at Michigan State University, USA. He is interested in contributing to multilingual students’ language and literacy development through research, advocacy, and intervention. His scholarly interests revolve around the representation of students’ languages, cultures and knowledge across curriculum and instruction for meaningful, relevant, and equitable educational opportunities.
Binod Duwadi: Mr. Duwadi has earned an M.Phil. research degree from Kathmandu University School of Education, Nepal. He has been working as a visiting faculty at Kathmandu University for three years. He works as a reviewer for research journals at home and abroad. His areas of research interest include applied linguistics, critical pedagogy and innovative teaching practice in large classes.
Questions covered in the interview
How often do educators refer to curricula when planning or teaching English language courses?
What do the practitioners think of the provision of sending the same sets of textbooks from the centre to all schools at 753 local levels?
Are textbooks desirable, compulsory, or neither to educators?
What about the relevance of the prescribed texts/knowledge in the centralized textbooks?
Our curriculum is based on communicative language teaching and a functional approach to language. How often do educators find themselves applying these principles? What other approaches, methods, and strategies do they use in their context?
What are the takeaways for curriculum planners, educators, and universities to envision decentralized curricula and materials?
We are aware that the unprecedented technological shift has significantly changed the way we teach and learn the English language today. Rajendrama (2020), asserts that “as societies become more globally interconnected through digital technologies, a wider and more complex range of communication modes is needed to disseminate and exchange knowledge” (p.151).From this perspective, it is important to consider that the integration of diverse communication modes in teaching and learning activities is an integral part of today’s classrooms. Furthermore, she adds,
The communication practices of our learners today are intrinsically multimodal, as they naturally draw on multiple semiotic modes such as text, images, video, and sound to express their ideas, consume information, and create new content on social media, photo- and video-sharing websites, video gaming, podcasts, vlogs, blogs, and so on (p.151).
Multimodality is “a reciprocal connection and interplay between different communicative modes” (Song, 2012). In such an increasingly digital world, what role should the English language teachers play? Have they been able to create space for learning where the learners can equitably perceive and express their ideas through different modes? This write-up shares practical techniques for teaching poetry based on a multimodal approach in today’s increasingly digitalized world which is expected to be helpful for teachers while teaching English in different settings.
Multimodality and multiliteracies
The application of this approach in the classroom is believed to foster learners’ ability to acquire and perceive information and linguistic elements and enhance students’ interaction, and critical thinking (Reyes-Torres & Raga, 2020). Furthermore, I believe that this approach will contribute to equitable learning opportunities for learners inheriting different learning styles. For this approach to teaching, I have used knowledge processes of multimodal pedagogy proposed by Reyes-Torres and Raga (2020), which comprises a) experiencing, b) conceptualizing c) analyzing d) applying as a means of implementing multiliteracies pedagogy in EFL (English as a foreign language) classrooms.
Historically multiliteracies pedagogy was introduced in 1996 by the New London Group (NLG) as an approach to literacy that would be receptive to the changing cultural, linguistic and communicative realities of increasingly globalized societies (Rajendrama, 2020). If so, what does multiliteracies pedagogy do? To put it simply, it is the knowledge and ability to understand and use different modes of communication. As suggested by the NLG learners can draw five different modes of communication for meaning-making. They are as follows.
linguistic mode (e.g. learners home and school language, dialects, rhetorical structure)
visual (e.g. images, colours)
audio (music, sound effects)
gestural (e.g. movement)
spatial (e.g. positioning of objects)
The application of different modes in teaching and learning is termed as pedagogy of multiliteracies. Reyes-Torres and Raga (2020) suggest four process knowledge construction (FPKC) based on the multiliteracies pedagogy as discussed below:
Experiencing: it is the first step of teaching which engages learners in meaningful ways that incorporate both spontaneous reflection and lived experiences. This allows them to immerse themselves in the text and world.
Conceptualizing: itdraws students’ attention towards specific concepts and explicit instruction on how linguistic, visual, spatial layout, etc. produces meaning. It emphasizes what they should know and understand about the text. They also learn to examine what specific knowledge and skills they need in their process of inquiry and meaning-making.
Analyzing: it engages students in examining and discussing the author’s message from their perspectives.
Applying: it emphasizes the transfer of new knowledge to other situations and the production of new designs.Thus, learners, at this level, become able to apply different strategies for their learning.
Application of the FPKC framework in my context
While teaching poetry in the previous years, I would simply write the title on the board and give a general background of the poet followed by the discussion of a few questions related to the title or the poet. Thereafter, I would deal with some unfamiliar words and get a student to recite the poem. Then, I would explain every line along with rhyming patterns and figurative devices. For me, the interpretation of the text and meaning construction was more important. However, now with the application FPKC framework including multimodality helped me engage students differently in my classes. In the section below I discuss its application in relation to teaching the poem ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’ by Robert Frost.
credit: freepik.com
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods, fill up with snow.
Credit: freepik.com
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
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He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
credit: freepik.com
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
The visuals alongside the poem presented above can be used to teach students about the poem’s setting. The pictures have been chosen in alignment with the theme of every stanza. Now, let’s discuss the application of the FPKC framework in teaching the poem.
Experiencing
This stage is similar to the conventional pre-reading stage which allows teachers to reach a closer understanding of students’ perspectives and prior knowledge. At this stage, teachers should develop students’ thoughts and engage them cognitively. As suggested by Reyes-Torres & Raga (2020), it can be done in two ways: a) by fostering an open conversation to initiate a process of inquiry and reflection through which they can use their previous experience and b) by directing their attention toward the text through a visual thinking strategy.
While teaching the poetry mentioned above, I followed the first strategy which is to begin the lesson with an open conversation. The following model questions were used to initiate the conversation.
Have you ever encountered a similar environment or setting depicted in the picture before? If so, describe your experience orally and compare it to the image presented.
Reflecting on the images, what emotion or thoughts do they stir within you?
Take two minutes to write down your immediate thoughts and feelings inspired by the images.
In the second stage, we can follow the visual thinking strategy which can be carried out as follows.
Revisit the title of the poem and create a drawing that represents the imagery or concept evoked by the title. Share and discuss your visuals with your classmates.
Choose the images displayed and describe them in your own words paying attention to its composition, colours, textures, and overall setting. Then describe how these elements contribute to the mood or message conveyed through the text.
Multimodal entails a combination of several channels to foster the development of students’ cognitive and linguistic abilities. This step of experiencing engages the learner’s critical thinking skills, learning to articulate their thoughts effectively, and gaining a deeper appreciation of the text. More importantly, the observation and interpretation of the pictures helped students do a close reading of other semiotic signs used in real-life situations as well as meaningful engagement with the text in due course of time. This process allowed me to leverage students’ prior knowledge and experiences to facilitate the construction and interpretation of meaning within the text.
Conceptualizing
To foster students’ ability to think and work with texts in an EFL context, we need to begin by selecting and building blocks of literacy that are important to them (Reyes-Torres & Raga, 2020), which suggests that we need to activate their knowledge and build the foundation for new learning. In this lesson, I picked up a few elements such as vocabulary, phonemic awareness, rhetorical devices, themes including author’s information. I started by presenting the author’s background through the following audio-visual. Listen to the audio carefully:
Building Concept: This audio helped learners to be aware of the way how poetry is to be recited. Furthermore, it provided them exposure to how sounds are segmented, and discriminated with the strong and weak forms of stressed and unstressed syllables. So, at this stage, I focused on the objective of raising phonemic awareness. I paused the audio and gave a brief explanation of the unit of rhythm consisting of a definite pattern. For instance, the first two lines follow the iambic foot in which every two syllables, the first is unstressed and the second is stressed.
Whose woods these are I think I know
His house is in the village though.
So making students aware of the stress, next there is linking ‘r’ which is realized as /a:r/. Why is it so? Why not /a:/ only?
Right here, I instructed students to concentrate on weak and strong forms.
After playing the audio, the students were asked to interpret the poem in their way through multiple modes such as drawing, writing, recommending songs or composing their poems based on the theme of the poem.
Rhetorical devices and teachers’ intervention: At this point, I was concerned about constructing the meaning of the text by addressing the responses of the students as well as leading them to the implicit linguistic elements used in the poem or the use of the words to express meaning beyond the literal meaning of the words themselves.
Figurative LanguagePersonification: woods are lovely dark and deepSymbolism: the woods, the dark eveningImagery: his house is in the village thoughRepetition: and miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleepIrony :but I have promises to keep
Teachers need to take into account the essential aesthetic nature of not only the knowledge of formal properties but also to ignite the students’ intellectual understanding as well as their emotional engagement with the text (Reyes-Torres & Raga, 2020). The discussion on this figurative language raised curiosity in learners about the artistic use of language. Thus, I guided them to compose their poems, make sentences, write songs, and speeches, make charts, sketch drawings, collect pictures etc.
Analyzing
The third knowledge process of multiliteracies pedagogy aims to relate textual and visual meaning with social, cultural, and ideological content and purposes (Reyes-Torres & Raga, 2020). The main goal is to have students interpret the reading from different points of view and learn to understand a particular voice, its position, motivation and concerns. To do so, I encouraged learners to discuss the author’s perspective, the emotions it triggers, implicit and explicit meaning and finally the relevance of different themes.
Therefore, in this stage, I generated different themes of the text which are relatable to students’ lives.
Credit: freepik.com
Theme1. Isolation and solitude: Why do you think the narrator stops in the middle of the forest without a farmhouse nearby? What do you think the remote area represents? What kinds of feelings grow in your mind when you imagine such a place? Share your opinion.
Theme2. Responsibility and Duty: What does the line, ‘miles to go before I sleep mean’? Present your opinion. Discuss that duties and responsibilities are far more important than our transient desires and pleasure. We may happen to
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think that this very experience is our reality but we have far to go before we finally close our eyes. Present your opinion.
Theme3. Nature and Tranquility: What is the setting of the poem? Recall some lines of the poem that bring a vivid image to your mind.
In this section, I scaffolded students to break down the poem into different themes to develop their analytical skills and relate that with their lives. For instance, the lines, “miles to go before I sleep” instilled the knowledge of duties and responsibilities of their own. And this is exactly where facilitation is needed. In this way, “teachers relate textual and visual meaning with social, cultural, and ideological content and purposes with the students” (Reyes-Torres & Raga, 2020, p. 113).
Applying
Connecting textual content with students’ lives is one of the ways of understanding the aesthetic of reading and constructing meaning and the application of knowledge further strengthens their learning. In doing so, I needed to have well-defined objectives before starting the lesson. It demanded extensive reading, a deeper level of thinking and contemplation on how this information helps students face worldly challenges. I, therefore, needed to develop ways in which students could carry out new practice in the new contexts. In order to facilitate the application of the knowledge in the poem, I discussed the following questions:
How does the speaker’s description of the woods in the poem make you feel? Can you relate it to a time you’ve experienced something similar in nature?
If you were in the same situation as the speaker in the poem, what decision would you make? Why?
Imagine you are in the middle of the woods, how would the scene change if it were a different season, like summer or fall?
Can you find another poem where a character faces a similar decision to stay or move on? Compare and contrast the two situations.
These questions challenge them to go beyond recalling information and engage in the poem more critically. They also promote critical thinking and creative expression, allowing them to connect the poem to their own life experiences and perspectives.
Exploration and insights
The application of the FPKC frame and multiliteracies pedagogy has left some footprints in the course of my professional life which can be discussed as follows.
Set clear level-wise objectives: This approach to teaching helped me to set clear level-wise objectives for the lessons from the experience to the application. The taxonomy of objectives helped me to teach students on how they could achieve higher levels of knowledge such as analysis and application. Furthermore, it made me clear what to facilitate and how to facilitate. For instance, in the conceptualization phase, I played the audio in the class which would add variety. Along with the audio, I was concerned about raising phonemic awareness in the learners focusing on stressed and unstressed syllables.
Integration of varied activities: The application of this framework allowed me to employ different activities in my classroom. I have used multiple modes such as questions for discussion, thematic pictures to stimulate learners, audio for building phonemic awareness, allowing students to draw pictures to express their ideas and creating situations where the students apply the acquired knowledge to a new setting. This helped me to guide the students in meaningful engagement with the text.
Create space for expression and perspectives: In all phases of the framework, students were actively engaged within the poem. They expressed their ideas and perspectives either through writing answers to the questions, listening to the audio or drawing pictures related to the topic and expressing their opinions verbally. This technique created an environment where student’s minds, bodies and souls were activated.
Foster learner’s autonomy: The multimodal approach to teaching contributed to learner’s autonomy as well. This framework helped me to create opportunities for my students to think and work independently. They also demonstrated confidence in going beyond the lines to interpret the poetic expressions relating with their lives.
Conclusion
My blog attempted to bridge the theories with classroom practice by demonstrating the application of four process knowledge construction (FPKC) framework based on the multiliteracies pedagogy through a poetry class in high school. It created room to integrate varied activities and modalities of expression (written, oral, visuals, audio-visuals modes), offered space for critical thinking and expressing their perspectives and fostered learner’s autonomy creating equitable learning in a diverse classroom setting. Thus the balanced use of multiliteracies in teaching-learning leverages English language learning, communication skills, critical thinking and aesthetic development.
Author: Dasarath Rai teaches English at Ideal Model School, Dhobighat, Lalitpur. He has earned Master’s Degree in English Education from Mahendra Ratna, Campus, Tahachal, Kathmandu. He is interested in teacher professional development, multiculturalism, cultural identity, and materials development in language education.
References
Rajendram, S. (2020). A pedagogy of multiliteracies and its role in English language education. In Contemporary foundations for teaching English as an additional language (pp. 151-187). Routledge.
Reyes-Torres, A. & Raga, M.P., (2020). A multimodal approach to foster the multiliteracy pedagogy in the teaching EFL through picture books: The Snow Line. (42) 49-199. DOI: http://doi.org/10.28914/Atlantis-2020-42.1.06
Song, J. (2012). Teaching multiliteracies: A research based on multimodality in a PPT presentation. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 2(1), 113-117.
Namaste, I’m Jham Bahadur Thapa, a multilingual English teacher. I have been teaching for 16 years and now I teach in a public secondary school in Tanahun. Today in this podcast, I’m going to share my experiences and reflections on implementing Project Based Learning in Rural English Language Classrooms.
Let’s get started!
The population of students in my school is very diverse, ranging from different linguistic, ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds. They mostly speak Nepali, Magar, Darai, Kumal and Newari languages. Most of them represent lower middle-class families from farming backgrounds. So, teaching English to a heterogeneous population comes with both opportunities and challenges for me. While I learn about cultures, indigenous knowledge, and languages, I also face challenges to enhance their English language proficiency in under-resourced contexts. Additionally, students’ involvement, dropouts, and irregularity in schools are some of the challenges. Despite these challenges, my students and I have been able to try out some great approaches and activities. In this blog post, I’m going to share my experiences and reflections on implementing project-based language learning with the students in grade eight.
So, The why behind project-based learning
There are various approaches, methods, and techniques in language teaching learning and project-based learning is one of the preferred methods among students and teachers. “Project work is one of the popular student-centred techniques which centres on the completion of a task, and which usually requires an extended amount of independent work either by an individual student or by a group of students” (Ghimire, 2024, p. 432). Confronting heterogeneous and unmotivated students, I was almost hopeless about how to engage them effectively in learning activities. However, I thought of giving the project-based method a try since project-based exercises are provided in each unit of a textbook, but they have never been practised due to limited class time. I found that project-based activities promote collaboration, creation, and cooperation in learning. It also promoted student-centred learning as they learnt by engaging in real-life-based assignments. Moreover, the curriculum has recommended project-based activities in grades six to eight.
Now, let’s talk about The how behind project-based learning
There were several projects in the English textbook, and I selected the project works that they could do in the classroom or beyond. Firstly, I piloted by engaging students in preparing weekly timetables. They accomplished the tasks and presented it in the class. In the second phase, I divided the class into four teams and assigned them the project of observing local festivals, preparing posters and presenting them in class. They divided tasks among themselves, making sure that they each had their group leader. To make learning authentic and contextual, I generally set project works during the festival times. They selected local festivals such as Janai Purnima, Krishna Janmashtami, Teej, Bada Dashain, and Tihar. In the planning phase, they brainstormed and made plans followed by observation of the festivals (whatever was possible). In the poster preparation phase, they engaged in a series of discussions and works. Their conversations were interesting as they discussed in Nepali and translated their ideas into English in developing the posters with some code-switching of cultural words like Janai, Mantra, Bratabanda etc. It shows how multilingual students use their whole linguistic resources in learning the English language, which aligns with the idea of translanguaging. Not only words but also represented the festivals by drawing nice pictures. Before the presentation, they rehearsed in their groups which generated a lot of conversations, negotiation and collaboration. Then, they presented their posters mostly in English also using cultural words in Nepali. Students also served as evaluators assessing their peers’ presentations, eventually offering feedback to the presenters. This practice was a pedagogical shift in sharing the teacher’s authority with students making them active and accountable for their learning.
These projects truly brought together students to collectively engage in knowledge exploration, negotiation, presentation including assessment. It generated a lot of listening, speaking, reading, and writing including visually representing their ideas. Most importantly, students were active in the process of learning. Similarly, they learnt both the English language as well as contents based on the given projects.
Now, let’s talk about My students and my feelings and reflections
Engaging in project-based learning during my teaching sessions contributed significantly to my professional development, resulting in successful teaching experiences. Achieving my objectives of making students more active made the class enjoyable and enhanced the quality of English language teaching (ELT), requiring my role as a facilitator. The classroom dynamics, students’ collaboration and learning and the outcomes of the projects were so rich that I wish I could invite other colleagues and head teachers to witness the possibilities of project-based learning in under-resourced contexts.
Similarly, the projects offered them multiple learning opportunities ranging from English language learning, and content learning to life skills development. It boosted their confidence level in being accountable for their learning. They learnt important life skills such as teamwork, collaboration, time management, oral presentation, evaluation and feedback-giving skills. Similarly, they learnt a lot from each other, for instance, the following groups learnt presentation skills from the first group and so on. I also think that project work offered multiple learning experiences catering to students’ multiple intelligences. For example, those students who were not comfortable in writing and speaking were actively participating in drawing and decorating the posters. So, it offered multiple roles and opportunities for them to choose and work on something they were comfortable with.
Now let me talk about some systemic limitations
The project-based learning promotes active learning with fun. I like to design project-based learning opportunities as much as possible in my classrooms. However, the current curricula, textbooks and schedule are challenges to me. A class session of 55 minutes is not conducive to project-based learning activities. Asking them to work in school after my class session is rarely possible as their schedule is tight in school. Working out of school was also not always possible as they lived in different locations. Likewise, giving more class sessions to the project would leave less time for textbook completion. So, I was able to implement only three to four project-based activities in an academic year. As students are assessed based on textbook knowledge, textbook completion is an obligation for me. Additionally, inadequate access to references, resources, and teaching materials complicates the application of project-based learning.
So, now my conclusion
Project-based learning promotes student-centered learning, hence active learning. “Project-based language teaching gives significant attention to learning naturally by taking part in projects” (Joshi & Poudel, 2020, p. 276). It offers opportunities for experiential learning, engaging students in activities that stimulate all five senses, including thinking processes. This method supports direct and active learning, creative, and critical thinking, and collaborative skills and nurtures communication for problem-solving. It also opens up opportunities for planning, information assessing and processing, and life skills such as presentation and feedback-giving skills. Additionally, it empowers students to explore knowledge and express their ideas and perspectives through words, visuals and posters. Project-based activities promote holistic language development by integrating listening, speaking, reading and writing. While the curriculum emphasizes the use of project-based learning, the class time, obligation to textbook completion and lack of resources are some of the challenges to its implementation. Given its benefits to students’ engagement and learning, teachers and students need to find creative ways to engage in project-based learning.
Thanks for listening!
Author:Jham Bahadur Thapa is an M. Phil scholar in English Language Education at the Graduate School of Education TU, Kritipur, Nepal. He is a life member of NELTA and also an executive member of NELTA, Tanahun. He has been teaching English Language from basic to higher level at several schools and institutions for 17 years. His areas of interest are multilingualism, narrative inquiry and teachers’ professional development.
References
Ghimire, R. P. (2024). The Handbook of Secondary English Teacher, JB Publication, Kritipur Kathmandu.
Joshi, K. R. & Poudel, G.P. (2020). A Resource Book for the Competitors of Secondary Level English Teachers’ Examination. Inspire Publication Pvt. Ltd. Dillibazar, Kathmandu.
As societal shifts occur, education undergoes corresponding changes. Modern technology has changed not just how we live our everyday lives but also how classes are run, giving teachers access to a multitude of tools and resources. Modern technological development is vital in helping young people acquire and enhance cross-cultural understanding and communication skills necessary for effective day-to-day interactions in the twenty-first century (Schenker, 2013). With the use of synchronous and asynchronous modes of online resources, educators can design classrooms that closely resemble actual situations, encouraging students’ active participation. By connecting schools via platforms with synchronous modes of online learning like Skype, Zoom, Microsoft Team, Google Meet, etc., educators can connect their students with classrooms across the world to collaborate and enhance their English language skills. In this blog, I share my classroom practices of integrating technology to teach the English language and develop cross-cultural understanding by connecting my students with other students across the globe.
The Genesis of the Borderless Session
Image 1: Students in a Hungarian class connecting with the students in my class through Skype
The development of information and communication technology has widened opportunities for educators and teachers to connect with the world geographically and culturally. As a result, schooling must prepare pupils for a world shaped by globalization (Darling-Hammond, 2010; Walsh, 2016). In line with this reality, I dabbled in technology throughout my early teaching career, illuminating the classroom with projectors and PowerPoint presentations. The students began to routinely sway to the beat of my digital waltz as they grew accustomed to it. However, my students grew restless as the months went by, demanding a new technology tool and a new approach to learning instead of the regular use of PowerPoint. On Friday, during an extracurricular speech competition about the effects of Facebook use, students’ desire became quite apparent. A maximum number of secondary school students used Facebook to network, learn about current events, as well as to create new acquaintances. It is evident from their speech that students found technology to be intriguing in their learning and that they also asked for more information, communication, and technology-integrated programs in schools. That speech day got me thinking about displaying fresh concepts using technology or the same projector instead of just teaching information.
When I was skimming through my Facebook, I came across a school in Punjab, India. I reached out to a teacher regarding my interest in connecting students from each other’s classrooms, opening up opportunities for them to practice their communication skills and cultural understanding. I received a response from the teacher after a week. I began brainstorming with my students and science teacher, Kumar Rumba, about possible projects. To make the session more interesting, the country name was not revealed, as they needed to guess themselves by asking yes-no questions. Students were assigned different roles as speakers, dancers, singers, etc. Some of them were anxious and hesitant to communicate with students from another country. We did not have a computer lab or a well-managed classroom but also we decided to commemorate International Dancing Day by collaborating with other teachers in our school.
Image 2: First connecting class with the school in Punjab, India, and students from a school in Hetauda.
On a Friday afternoon, my students dressed in traditional attire waited for a Skype call. It was a new experience for all of us, and I had mixed feelings. I was worried about my laptop’s data connection and whether the Skype call would go smoothly. We gathered in an office room with ‘Yes’, and ‘No’ cards, a flag, and a globe. We received their Skype call at noon and saw teachers seated on a beautifully decorated stage, accompanied by a dancer. At first, we played a guessing game where each student tried to guess each other’s countries through a series of yes/no questions. They were not allowed to provide any clue; they just needed to show a yes or no card. After asking a series of questions, students from Punjab guessed our country correctly, and our students displayed Nepal’s flag. Later, our students also guessed their country, and they displayed their national flag. The guessing game enhanced cognitive and communication skills in my students.
Next, our students and teachers (from my school) introduced themselves to each other. The students from Punjab greeted us in their native language, and my students did the same in Nepali. They described their country’s flag, traditional attire, and the school. When my students heard simple English sentences, their confidence level increased, and those students who hesitated to speak also actively took part in the conversation. One of my students exclaimed, “Ini haruko pani English hamro jasto raichha” (their English language is also like ours), demonstrating their confidence to communicate with their counterparts. Soon, they engaged in the conversation as if they had known each other for a long time.
Following this exchange, students took turns sharing ethnic dances. This experience fostered a sense of global community. The students who were reluctant to discuss Facebook’s influence during the speech competition jumped at the chance to express themselves via dancing, like a narrative twist. It made me think about multiple ways of engaging students to cater to their multiple intelligences. The inaugural international dance between Nepal and India unfolded through the lens of Skype. Students on both ends shared not just dance steps but stories of their cultures, peering into each other’s classrooms with curiosity.
Fueled by the spirit of connection, I embarked on a mission to virtually unite my classroom with the world. Through this project, I forged ties with international acquaintances, joined online communities, and explored the connection with other classes beyond the borders through collaboration with fellow educators. This initiative was not just about crossing borders digitally; it was crucial for nurturing listening, speaking, and cognitive skills. In this dance of learning, every step was a bridge to understanding, and every word was a note in the symphony of global education. The tale of technological integration and cultural exchange emerged as a tapestry of growth, where simplicity met depth, and every breath carried the essence of learning and unity.
Language and Cultural Exchange through Skype Video Calls
Video: My students sharing cultural dance with Vietnamese students.
When we think of a classroom, we usually think of an enclosed space with four walls devoted to teaching and learning. However, in an age where technology affects human relations, communication between language teachers and students transcends traditional classroom boundaries (Romaña, 2015). This change involves moving our daily relationships into computer communication (CMC) through email or phone calls such as WhatsApp or Skype (Romaña, 2015, p. 144). Its unique features include global connectivity via video calling and student chat options.
After having connections with more than ten countries like Vietnam, Hungary, India, Japan, Spain, Portugal, and the USA, technology and learning through it is no longer a mystery to my students. They conversed with their international student counterparts and learned about one another’s way of life. They learned about other cultures and communities, and my students also shared their customs and cultures with their global counterparts, fostering characteristics of global citizens. They taught the international students Nepali language and cultures such as Namaskar (नमस्कार), Dhanyabaad (धन्यवाद), and Sanchai (सन्चै). My students also became familiar with Sati Sri Akala (Punjabi), and HaMacTe M. (Russian) from international students. Respecting one another’s identities and cultures eliminates communication barriers and fosters greater understanding of each other. This bridges the gap between classroom content and real-world situations. The Skype sessions also helped to improve their speaking, listening, and pronunciation skills. Since my students have taken virtual international tours to different classes, Europe is not a mystery to them.
The Skype Sessions promoted my students’ speaking skills and self-assurance. They practiced speaking in a real-world situation and engaged with both native and non-native English speakers worldwide by utilizing Skype in the classroom. Additionally, this cooperative and methodical approach contributed to their cognitive skills, geographic awareness, and cultural comprehension in an engaging and dynamic environment.
Conclusion
To sum up, the borderless Skype session exemplifies how engaging students with diverse cultures worldwide facilitates cross-cultural understanding, language learning, and global connections. It offers Nepali students a remarkable opportunity to learn about other cultures while sharing their own, creating an inclusive and enriching educational experience in an interconnected world. Reflecting on my journey, technology has profoundly transformed education in my class. Platforms like Skype have fundamentally changed the way I teach and learn languages, eliminating spatial and cultural barriers. Through virtual exchanges such as Skype sessions have become an effective means of fostering cross-cultural understanding, communication, and language acquisition.
However, it’s essential to recognize the challenges and responsibilities of connecting classrooms globally. Teachers must manage cultural sensitivities, coordinate across time zones, and ensure clear communication to foster meaningful relationships. Teachers and students together need to learn about the cultural norms and expectations of the communities they are going to interact with and collaborate with. Likewise, they need to communicate in advance the plan, activities, time zone, and so on for the sessions. We also need to assign different roles to students to make them accountable for their learning and organizing sessions.
Looking forward, I am excited to explore more innovative virtual exchange programs within and outside the nation. I aim to develop new strategies to overcome technological challenges and further enhance their educational experiences by integrating technological tools.
Author: Bibas Thapa is an MPhil scholar in English Language Education at Kathmandu University. He is an English lecturer and also works as an ICT facilitator. He has connected in borderless sessions with dozens of countries, such as the USA, Brazil, Portugal, Greece, Vietnam, India etc.
References
Darling-Hammond, L. (2010). The flat world and education. New York, NY: Teachers College Press
Romaña, Y. Skype™ Conference Calls: A Way to Promote Speaking Skills in the Teaching and Learning of English. PROFILE, 17, 143 -156.
Schenker, T. (2013). The effects of a virtual exchange on students’ interest in learning about culture. Foreign Language Annals, 46(3), 491–507. http://doi.org/10.1111/ flan.12041
Walsh, L. (2016). Educating generation next: young people, teachers and schooling in transition. Houndsmill, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.
I have been teaching English at the basic to secondary level at government schools for more than a decade. With the advancement of technology, I have observed that teachers and parents have perceived that students are less engaged in reading textbooks and books. They think that students are more engaged in playing virtual games or using social media on their phones rather than completing assignments or engaging themselves with educational materials. Both teachers and parents have raised the question whether the ubiquitous presence of mobile phones has been a curse or a boon for students. In my perspective, it is a supporting device for them. In today’s society, it has become a fundamental tool for students to access information, communication, entertainment, and knowledge. However, by only engaging on mobile phones for games and fun can be counterproductive to their study. So, a serious question always hits me: if they like to engage on their devices, why not integrate the devices in their study. So, I created a messenger group with my students to integrate technology in their study. In this blog post, I am going to share my practices and reflect upon them.
Messenger group to integrate technology in low-resourced contexts
Schools came to closure during the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought many challenges for my colleagues and students. I was pensive as I was in a dilemma about my teaching profession. As there were no chances of opening schools, schools came up with the idea of opening learning centers across students’ communities. My colleague and I visited learning centers twice a week to assign homework package but that was not sufficient for secondary-level students. We could only accommodate 25 students in one learning center because of health protocols. During our visits, we would grade their homework, provide feedback, teach them challenging contents and assign homework for next week. I explored some of them having mobile phones and internet access at their home though a few did have access to the internet. However, they would manage to go to their peers’ house to access the internet. My observation revealed that most students were already familiar with mobile phones, they only required some ideas about using the devices for their study. Despite some limitations, I proceeded with the messenger group initiative, recognizing its potential to bridge the gap in access to educational resources and take students beyond textbooks to explore knowledge. Then I created a class messenger group and invited them to join. The group was a convenient forum for us to share resources, interact, communicate and learn. I shared study materials and assignments, and they were able to go through
A screenshot of sharing resources through messenger group
them at their own pace and time even though it was impossible to meet in school due to the pandemic. It also helped students to get some ongoing support and resolve questions as I would respond to their questions and concerns.
My approach of engaging students in their study through technology aligns with flipped learning (Flipped Learning Network, 2014) which is one of teaching approaches in classrooms today. In flipped learning, teachers provide concepts to students using either videos, audio, or presentation apps, so that students study the contents and prepare before class (Al- Samarraie et al., 2020). So that in the classroom they can spend their time collaborating with teachers and other friends to advance their knowledge and understanding about the contents, which makes the classroom activities and time more productive. In my case, I did not record and share audio and videos, instead, I used texts and visuals to summarize texts and exercises and assign the tasks to them. I also used PowerPoint slides, text, snipping tools, movies, interesting Ted Talks, Benime apps, and other tools to facilitate teaching-learning. I joined workshops offered by some teachers’ associations to enhance my knowledge and skills in using ICT in my classrooms.
I continued using the messenger group even after the pandemic. I used the forum to share the contents and assignments of the day beforehand so the students would be familiar with the contents and become prepared for the class. Then they would share their ideas too by engaging in different kinds of activities in real class. Gradually, they became
A screenshot assigning homework.
interested and accustomed to studying the shared materials and completing their homework on time. It also helped them to learn independently as they could learn in their own way at time and place. They also used the messenger group as a forum to ask follow-up questions about things they did not understand in class. I would reply and confirm the answer in the group, and they would share ideas and work with me and their peers.
Benefits of flipped teaching
Flipped classroom vs traditional classroom
Flipped teaching is one of novel approaches where contents are shared before class with tasks assigned. Hariri et al. (2021) have illustrated that flipped learning is one of the recent and effective approaches that increase students’ interactivity and enhance the understanding of content in foreign language classrooms. I also observed some noticeable differences in student engagement and performance between traditional classroom settings and the flipped teaching approach. Unlike traditional classrooms, in flipped classes, students get direct access to knowledge with flexible contents and instructions. It was student-centered, making them active in the learning process and they were interested in studying by using mobile devices, whereas traditional classrooms are more teacher-centered where students would get less chances to interact with their teachers and peers. Similarly, they would get extra time to do their tasks and share their perspectives unlike traditional classes. In the same way, flipped teaching created an equitable opportunity for performing the tasks for students with diverse backgrounds as they would be able to study contents at their own time and pace. I also noticed that students became more independent in doing their assignments.
Benefits for my students
Parents and teachers blamed students for spending too much time on their devices and with our virtual forum, they also used their devices for study purposes. One interesting observation I made was that those who had previously neglected reading began showing interest and followed up for classroom assignments with their friends in the messenger group. Additionally, some of the students shared their work in the group. Similarly, students who had difficulty with exercises were able to comprehend complex questions
Students submitting their works through the messenger group.
and share answers due to conversation and scaffolding in the group. Even absentees shared their assignments in class as the class materials and homework were shared through the group. The class had various student types, including shy ones, who felt comfortable expressing curiosity to teachers and developed a habit of engaging with messages and reading contents. It boosted their confidence, heightened reading awareness, and accelerated learning via social media.
Benefits for teacher
I used the virtual group to share some learning materials including content-related videos, PowerPoint slides, books, and podcasts online in advance which helped them to understand assigned materials and get ready for the next class. It also helped them in following home assignments as they could ask follow-up questions, leave their comments, and share their learning. It was also convenient for me to follow them up for their assignment through messenger. Likewise, I reused the materials and resources for other classes, so that I did not have to create another set of materials again. Embracing new technology, I further developed my teaching skills and sparked my interest in using technological tools.
Some challenges of flipped teaching
Although I was able to build a virtual students’ community to support each other in their learning, my students and I faced some challenges. Students, especially from remote parts, faced some difficulties in the internet connection. Students with internet access joined the group, but not everyone did. Those without internet access used mobile data, which proved costly and sometimes caused issues with downloading materials. Consequently, some were initially not involved in the messenger group, while others, despite being in the group, showed little interest. Gradually a few student ambassadors’ word-of-mouth brought more students back to the group and they started engaging in conversation and submitting their assignments through it. Additionally, it was a little challenging for me to make sure that they did not post irrelevant materials and messages to the group. So, the takeaway is to orient students to the dos and don’ts of virtual forums in the classroom.
Closing thoughts
Flipped classroom teaching through messenger groups is one of the recent teaching approaches that I adopted in my classroom. It can cater to multiple learning styles of students as it opens up both synchronous and asynchronous doors of learning. In my experiences, it has been valuable for both teacher and students as it helped me to share digital resources which are not possible to share in the classroom due to lack of technology. Moreover, I was able to clarify their doubts and confusion through the group chat. Students also had opportunities for collaboration, conversation and acquiring knowledge through shared resources independently. It was helpful in making students independent in their study and confident in expressing their ideas. Additionally, I was able to teach them how they can use their mobile devices beyond communication and entertainment to access knowledge and integrate technology into education. Logistically, teachers need to have some digital literacy, but they do not need to be highly skilled in using technology though having more knowledge and skills is always helpful. I had a general idea of operating computers or mobile devices and creating a messenger group. Similarly, I was comfortable working with slides or word files, designing activities and sharing them in our virtual group. Also, we can also always find useful resources and activities online and use them.
Author: Baburam Shrestha is an MPhil scholar in English language Education at Kathmandu University. He has been teaching English from basic level to bachelor level since 2017. He is a published author in national and international levels. He is a life member of NELTA and an executive member of NELTA, Sindhuli. His areas of interest are literature, multilingualism, autoethnography and narrative inquiry.
References
Al- Samarraie, H., Shamsuddin, A., & Alzahrani, A. l (2020). A Flipped classroom model in higher education: a review of the evidence across discipline Education Technology Research and Development, 68(3), 1017-1051.https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-019-09718-8
Han E. & Klein KC. Pre-class learning methods for flipped classroom. Am J Pharm Educ 83: 6922, 2019. doi:10.5688/ajpe6922.
Haririe Asl. Mafton, P. & Marandi, S (2021). Collaborative Flip Learning Through Call. A Recipe for Realizing Social Presence in Virtual Learning Environment.
Reidsema, C., Kavanagh, L., Hadgraft, R. & Smith, N(2017). The Flipped Classroom. Practice and practices in higher Education. Springer.
We are delighted to present you with the final issue of 2023, a collaborative effort made possible by your steadfast support and contributions. Our heartfelt thanks go out to our readers, contributors, friends, and critics for their invaluable roles. This edition delves into various topics, such as the hurdles faced in under-resourced classrooms in Nepal, the incorporation of ChatGPT in English teaching, reflections from the experience of crafting a master’s thesis, and the beneficial influence of local materials in English language teaching.
In the first blog post, Binod Duwadi, explores the challenges of large, under-resourced classrooms in Nepal, drawing on personal experiences as both a student and educator. It highlights the global nature of these issues in developing countries, discusses their impact on student engagement, and advocates for context-specific teaching strategies, emphasizing the need for policy changes to address educational inadequacies.
Dashratha Rai, in the second post, shares his journey of writing his master’s thesis highlighting the challenges and strategies he employed. Initially unsure about the thesis writing process, he faced difficulties and anxieties. The article details his evolution from copying others’ work to autonomous reading and writing. Rai stresses the importance of early initiation, avoiding procrastination, and seeking regular feedback from supervisors.
In the third blog post, Dammbar Singh Saud explores the impact of integrating ChatGPT in English language teaching, noting positive aspects such as fostering individual development and creativity. He encourages educators to embrace ChatGPT as a beneficial challenge, particularly for personalized guidance and goal setting. Saud acknowledges concerns, advocating for responsible usage and ethical considerations suggesting a balanced approach for institutions, leveraging ChatGPT cautiously to enhance learning while preserving academic integrity.
Finally, in the fourth blog post, Sagar Poudel highlights the importance of integrating local and cultural assets in teaching, emphasizing their positive impact on education. He calls for a shift to lively, contextual learning tailored to individual students, valuing native languages and resources. Recognizing challenges, he stresses integrating these into teacher education, advocating for uniform guidelines and supportive policies.
Here is the list of blogs for you to navigate in this issue:
Finally, we would like to thank our reviewers in this issue, Mohan Singh Saud, Nanibabu Ghimire, Jeevan Karki, Karuna Nepal, and Puskar Chaudhary for their relentless effort and contribution.
ELT Choutari serves as a platform for researchers, scholars, educators, and practitioners to exchange perspectives, practices, and stories originating from classrooms and communities. If you find the articles engaging, we encourage you to share them within your network and provide your comments. Your feedback is also welcomed on our Facebook page. Thank you for your continued support in fostering a collaborative and enriching educational community
We look forward to your blogs and articles at 2elt.choutari@gmail.com and invite you to stay tuned for our anniversary issue soon.
Happy reading, thinking, questioning and reflecting!
Ekraj Koirala, Lead EditorGanesh Bastola, Co-Editor
I attended a public secondary school in Dhading, which was five kilometres walking distance away from my home. I had to do all the morning chores, prepare meals, eat and run to school as my parents had to go to work on the farm every day. As the classroom was overcrowded with up to seventy students, it was difficult to get a spot in the front row. I had to adjust with six students on a bench at the back of the class, which would make it hard to listen to my teachers. It was challenging to find a cosy place to read, write and listen to the teacher’s lectures. When I recall now, it was tough to get through all this and complete my school education.
Despite the teachers trying to engage us in learning, most of my classmates were inattentive to the teachers’ instructions. The teachers used to crack jokes or share some new things but the students hardly paid attention to their studies. As a result, the teachers were less motivated to teach us and ignored what my classmates were doing in the classroom.
My classmates were from different ethnic communities: Brahmin, Kshetri, Newar, Gurung, Tamang, Gharti, Dalits etc. As they were from diverse groups, they had different beliefs and ways of doing activities. They were basically from working-class families. Yet, some of them belonged to semi-educated families and they were less interested in their study. Nevertheless, I was very excited about my studies.
On a chilly day
It was a cold winter morning. I was teaching ‘The Ant and Grasshopper’ in class ten. I asked my students to write some new words in their exercise book individually. There was some noise, so I tried to control their side talking by cracking a joke. Some of the students who were sitting on the first and second benches were listening to me passionately, whereas the students who were sitting at the back were busy with their personal talk. Again, I told them not to make noise, but their side-talking was ongoing. I further inquired and knew that they were not listening to me clearly. Again, I advised the other side students to have patience and it took around 15 minutes to make them silent.
Moreover, I just had 30 minutes to go. Hence, I revised the previous lesson and made them ready to participate in my large class. Then, I taught my lesson before the lunch bell rang. When I came out of the classroom and I went to the canteen for lunch, I shared my problem with my close friend, who had also been teaching English at a lower secondary level. He listened to me very carefully and agreed with my problem. When I finished the trouble of the classroom. Interestingly, he narrated a story of his classroom that he was also suffering from a similar kind of trouble in large classes. After school, I went back home in the evening and started thinking about my trouble alone.
I realized large class teaching is a complex task and large classes are pretty challenging for the teachers to conduct effective instruction. In such classes, the student number is very high, more than 50, which causes difficult teaching circumstances (Hess, 2006). It is tough for teachers to focus on every student equally. It is considered that students’ engagement and active participation are diminished in large classes, and the frequency and quality of student-faculty interactions are reduced (Cash (2017). Furthermore, Marshall (2004) considers small classes to be very friendly and easy to handle but large classes are highly risky and challenging. Marshall (2004) further highlighted that the analysis of contexts, institutional change in resource allocation and teaching in multidimensional contexts is very thought-provoking.
I conceptualized that teaching in large and under-resourced classes is very tough and tedious throughout my teaching career. In the past, I was a student of a large class where physical infrastructure was not adequate, though we had a blackboard inside the classroom covered with dry grass roof of the building. We didn’t have sufficient classrooms. I still remember when I was a class three grader, and our class was divided into two different classes within a single classroom. It was pretty noisy and hard for the teachers as well. I experienced teaching in an under-resourced context is not an easy job.
Furthermore, I equally reconceptualized that large classes need much personal attention and encouragement to make progress. The students in their learning potential vary considerably due to their language and literacy skills. Thus, we say teaching in large classes is very much like teaching in all other situations; however, handling large classes is more complicated, exhausting, and infinitely more demanding, and challenging.
I explored the reality of large classes through the experience of my research participants who have been teaching a class comprising more than 60 students. I investigated challenges for instance, disruptive students, crises of discipline, and unwanted noise and explored strategies like group work, pair work, and collaborative project works to cope with the large classes with an in-depth study.
I realised that no students get a chance to learn new things in crowded classrooms. They lack the opportunity to grow holistically. Consequently, the prior investment of parents, teachers, schools, and students goes in vain. Based on my experiences as an EFL practitioner in a large classroom, I noted that offering group work and pair work was an effective tool in large-class teaching. The ability to handle large classes provided me an insight through which I germinated useful tips for large class teaching. I reconceptualized the concept of post-method pedagogy by Kumaravedivelu (2006) who persistently claimed that a meaningful pedagogy cannot be constructed without a holistic interpretation of particular situations and that cannot be enhanced without an essential improvement of those particular situations as a theoretical foundation to scaffold his ‘parameter of particularity’. Thus, it is noted that post-method pedagogy prioritises much on creativity, patience, teamwork and leadership.
Major Strategies I Employed in My Large Classroom:
A comprehensible teaching-learning process that ensures efficiency and effectiveness involves the design and implementation of creative and innovative teaching strategies, capable of responding to the individual needs of students and ensuring their academic success, (Jucan,2020). Without level-appropriate activities and contextual strategies, the teaching-learning activities are not making success, (Kumaravadivelu, 2003). Learning style, the learner’s preferred mode of dealing with new information, includes a construct known as cognitive style, (Oxford,1990). In my experience, large-class students have various ways of learning strategies, so I have applied various ways to make them learn. Some of them are as follows.
Engaging students in different project work:
Group work is believed to be allowing students to share ideas, perspectives, and skills among their pair and group. Students learn skills of collaboration and team building in which they develop communication, cooperation and the ability to work effectively with others. It also promotes higher-order thinking, creativity, and problem-solving, as students have to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information collaboratively, (McCormick et al, 2015) So, I designed some activities to attract the student’s attention in his large class every day. I often engage students in different activities. I ask to design a Calander for a group, a Code of Conduct for the classroom for another group and a Wall Magazine for the other groups. Likewise, I instructed them to share their ideas with their friends through their diverse perspectives. Moreover, they started taking feedback from each other. I involved students in some small groups. In doing so, I selected discussion topics that could be of interest to my students. Sometimes I provided them with topics in groups or individually, they searched on the internet and through some reading materials. I knew that all the time group did not work, so to keep every student involved in the group work, sometimes students were provided answers for each of the questions individually first.
Motivating students in pair work:
Working in pairs allows students to give and receive constructive feedback. Pairwork helps in the development of various skills such as teamwork, leadership and interpersonal skills. It is well known that motivation is a force that drives people to work towards a particular outcome (Maslow, 1943). I equally motivated students in pair works where they actively participated and developed a sense of competitiveness in and between other pairs in the classroom. I often motivated them to work on different tasks such as conversation practice, role-playing, problem-solving, debate, collaborative art, etc. Thus, I particularly engaged students in story-writing activities, case study analysis and general problem-solving. Moreover, students would appreciate their tasks in pairs and they learn their commonalities and differences.
Encouraging students to ask questions:
Teaching with questions to my students provided me direct connection with them (Filiz,2009). There is a great role for asking good questions in effective teaching and learning. Hence, I encouraged students to ask questions in my class because this task helps them build critical thinking skills. In this, they asked content-wise questions as it helped them to work together and make sense of the particular subject as mentioned by Kumaravadivelu (2003). Moreover, I motivated my students to raise questions based on their curiosity about the content. Developing questioning abilities indicates students enhance creativity and critical thinking skills. Moreover, questioning habits helped students feel relaxed and learn easily the complex subject matter. It encouraged my students to be active, independent and creative in the large classroom. Besides this, I encouraged my students to speculate on certain incidents, for example, I showed a picture and told them to imagine and connect with the picture. I wrote a sentence, “ If I were in this situation…..”. I let students think, develop their hypotheses, and arrive at a conclusion. This pattern scaffolded students through their positive mindset that they learn interestingly in the large class classroom.
Involving students Think-pair-share procedure:
Think-pair-share (TPS) is a cooperative learning strategy that encourages active participation and engagement among learners. In this think-pair-share technique, students are given a question, and students first think about themselves prior to being instructed to discuss their response with a person sitting near them. Finally, the group shared what they discussed with their colleagues to the whole class and their discourse kept on going (Rowe,1972). Hence, I used the TPS strategy to cope with a large class context. I began my class by asking a specific question about the text. For example; What are the various uses of Artificial Intelligence in education and list them based on your experience. (from one of the chapters of grade 10). Then, my students started thinking about what they knew or had learned about my query. Then, I engaged them to work in pairs with their partner in a small group discussion. Finally, they share what they have collected so far. Thus, the post-method pedagogy entails that students develop coordinating skills, increasing active participation and enhancing their innovative sharing skills.
Major Takeaways:
We teachers struggle in our large classes due to a lack of level-appropriate instructional tools. We often think of managing a large classroom since it needs tactfulness and a lot of experience. Teachers’ ability to explore and develop approaches to observe, analyze and evaluate their teaching for the purpose of accomplishing desired changes. It is an eye-opener and a gateway to make teachers, who are reluctant to bring innovations to their teaching, change their minds and redirect their teaching toward a more contextualized implementation of the strategies suggested to assist them in enhancing their teaching and their students’ learning. Engaging students in various project work, motivating students in group and pair work, encouraging students to ask questions, making level-appropriate fun as well as engagement, and evolving them into TPS strategies are major roadways to creating a learning environment in large classes.
References:
Cash, C. B., Letarago, J, Graether, S. P., & Jacobs, S. R. (2017). An analysis of the perceptions and resources of large classes university. Life Sciences Education, 16(2).
Cash & Marshall, (2007). Between deep and surface: Procedural approaches to learning in
engineering education contexts. Studies in Higher Education,29:5, 605-615, DOI: 10.
1080/0307507042000261571
Gibbs G. (1996). Using assessment to support student learning. The University of East Anglia.
Filiz, S. (2009). Questions and answer method to ask questions and technical information on the effects of teacher education. Social Sciences Journal of Caucasus University.2.
Jucan, D.A., (2020). Efficient didactic strategies used in students’ teaching practice. Social and Behavioural Sciences.
Kumaravadivelu, B. (2003). Beyond methods: Macro strategies for language teaching. Sage.
Hess, N. (2006). Teaching large multilevel classes. Cambridge University Press.
Hess, N. (2007). Teaching large multilevel classes. Cambridge University Press.
McCormick, N. J. and et al, (2015). Engaging Students in Critical Thinking and Problem Solving: A Brief Review of the Literature. Journal of Studies in Education. 5(4).
Oxford, R.L. (1990). Language learning strategies: What every teacher should know. Newbury House/Harper &Row.
Rowe, M. (1972). Wait time and rewards as instructional variables: their influence on language, logic and fate control. ERIC No Edo61103.
About Author: Binod Duwadi has earned an MPhil in English language education from Kathmandu University, School of Education. Mr. Buwadi has been a faculty of English at KUSOM and KUSOED. His research interests include ELT in under-resourced contexts, ELT with ICT integration and Multiliteracy pedagogy.
During my university studies, the idea of crafting the finest research paper for my master’s consumed my dreams, deeming it the noblest facet of my academic journey. Despite my fascination with the term “thesis,” I initially grappled with a clear understanding of it. It felt akin to envisioning the construction of a cosy dream house or contemplating an ethereal place. However, as the actual process of thesis writing commenced, it proved to be more challenging than anticipated. I posit that this difficulty is the primary reason many master’s students perceive research paper writing as elusive. Some abandon the endeavour, while others procrastinate until the final deadline, attempting to persuade supervisors to accept incomplete papers. There are even instances where students resort to copying others’ work.
This issue has triggered extensive discussions among teachers and academicians, scrutinized and analyzed from a top-down perspective. While existing research on the matter provides valuable insights for students and educators alike, there remains a dearth of students’ narratives detailing their struggles and strategies—an approach from the bottom up. In this article, I aim to offer my perspective on thesis writing, elucidating how I surmounted challenges, conducted research, and presented findings in a methodical and structured manner.
My Experiences with Thesis Writing
Since writing a research paper was entirely new to me, exposure from teachers was crucial to constructing a fundamental concept of academic writing, the writing process, and finding sources. The theories and principles of writing a research paper were challenging. Though I understood the language to some extent, penetrating the content left me with a profound sense of emptiness, causing anxiety. However, determined teachers’ exposure and guidance helped mitigate my struggles. After completing the third semester, I became acquainted with terms like qualitative and quantitative research design, research objectives, questions, literature review, methods, discussion and analysis, findings, and conclusions. Despite this, I lacked the necessary skill to write, making my experience of writing a research proposal akin to a crow in the cloud.
When I began preparing my first proposal, my mind was blank. Determined to start writing, I sat in front of my laptop, appearing confident as if I were embarking on the greatest task ever. My niece, who was reading beside me, sensed my seriousness. Despite fifteen to twenty minutes of pondering, my mind remained empty; not a single word appeared on the laptop screen. Frustration set in as I questioned my competency, growing restless. I began talking to myself, “What the heck! My competency is that I cannot write a sentence. How can I ever write a thesis?” Despite the anxiety, the notorious journey of writing the proposal finally began as follows.
I am sitting on a chair to draft a thesis proposal. My mind remains blank after almost twenty minutes of contemplation. Questions persist: what to write? What? Is it windy outside? I observe the fluttering curtain. The wooden chair I occupy supports me, and on the table, stacks of books stand. As I start jotting down words, a sense of purpose eludes me. Does it make sense? No, it does not. But who cares? Someone might laugh at my writing, unaware that I’m simply venting my frustration with the thesis proposal.
I powered down my laptop and exited the room. For a week, I resisted the urge to write. After that interval, I powered up the laptop and revisited the aforementioned text. Much to my surprise, whatever the text was, it infused me with confidence, evoking a sense of authenticity I hadn’t experienced since my school and college days—excluding exam writing. I felt a sense of pride in my ability to produce something, regardless of its content. This brief text served as motivation, inspiring me to dedicate unwavering effort to articulate my ideas and thoughts on paper. And so, my journey continued…
After two years of continuous effort to write a research paper and unexplainable support from my supervisor, participants, and other teachers, I managed to produce around two hundred pages of a research draft. My supervisor boosted my confidence with the statement, “Rai Bhai, you have a good insight into research work. Research is a process of learning, unlearning, and relearning. How much you’ve learned is sufficient for your level. Now, proceed to the viva. Get ready for the presentation with slides.” His statement filled me with boundless happiness as I felt I had won the battle through rigorous work, and despite his inflexible schedule, my supervisor had done his best to guide me. I still recall him calling me for an online meeting through Zoom around half-past eleven at night.
“Well, Mr. Rai, you are building castles in the air,” said the external supervisor while flipping through the pages of my research work after my presentation. He then prescribed a list of improvements. My mouth went dry with the prescription because I had foolishly convinced myself that no further editing was needed, and my research was a flawless diamond. However, with the remarks of the external supervisor, it seemed no more than a corn husk. I looked at my supervisor with a perplexed expression, and he gestured for me to be patient. It took an additional two months to align with the suggestions of the external supervisor. Eventually, my corn husk received hard binding. I call my research work a husk because I am now unsatisfied with what I wrote back then.
Suggestions for Writing Thesis
Whether the journey is easy or hard, footprints are always left behind. Following someone else’s footprints can make the journey easier. In essence, I would like to share my footprints with readers, especially master’s students preparing to write a thesis and teachers dealing with similar student issues.
How to Explore the Issue of Writing?
Recognizing the problem proves to be the most formidable hurdle for students. In the absence of a precise understanding of the challenges pertinent to their respective disciplines, students encounter a state of paralysis when tasked with writing. Even at the master’s level, numerous students grapple with identifying issues and await guidance from instructors for topic selection. While there is no inherent fault in topics provided by instructors, researching any of them is deemed acceptable. However, my observations indicate that students often encounter difficulty in critically presenting robust arguments, justifications, and references. They frequently lean on the perspectives of others, struggling to independently generate knowledge.
If we analyze the master’s degree theses written so far, the majority of students tend to begin with the historical background of English language teaching in Nepal. For example, “English education was formally introduced by Prime Minister Jang Bahadur Rana. . .” Instead, starting with a statement like, “Representation of cultural identity has become a buzzword in language teaching and learning…” Why does this happen? The answer is simple: students are often not aware of the issues and problems they are going to investigate.
Identifying the issues and problems in writing is a complex task but not impossible. In my case, I explored the issue through interdisciplinary reading and discourses. Students should engage in reading diverse texts and reflecting on their ideas, finding connections between them. Participating in conferences, seminars, and professional discourses can also be beneficial. If students work as teachers, they can easily explore issues in the workplace. For example, they can examine how social constructs hinder a child’s learning or how an English language teacher’s professional ideology influences a child’s learning. Such issues often arise in the workplace. Therefore, issues and problems are around us but require a meticulous study of the situation and context.
Early Bird Catches the Worm
Procrastination can prove detrimental to the writing process. In my case, I immediately started writing even though I didn’t have anything specific to write about. I provided my first proposal without editing, and, as a result, the quality of my writing suffered, as you might expect. Creating a draft allowed me to brainstorm ideas, and I didn’t hesitate to write whatever came to mind, irrespective of spelling errors, grammatical mistakes, or inappropriate vocabulary. During this phase, unfortunately, I resorted to copying others’ ideas and sentences, falsely claiming them as my own. I even copied entire paragraphs without concern for plagiarism, as my primary objective was to acquaint myself with various writing techniques.
One day, I confronted myself with the question of how long I could continue copying and whether I was capable of generating my writing. That pivotal moment became the catalyst for me to gather the courage and embark on crafting my original content. Within a month, I composed a twenty-five-page proposal. Seeking feedback from my teacher, I was met not with mere suggestions for improvement, but rather a barrage of probing questions. Queries such as “What is your intended focus on this topic?” “What drives your motivation to write?” “What objectives do you aim to achieve?” and “How do you envision reaching these objectives?” forced me to reevaluate my approach. In response, I opted for a different topic and resumed my writing endeavours. This early intervention proved crucial; otherwise, I might have succumbed to frustration had I delayed my start.
Autonomous Reading and Writing
At this stage of writing, I began evaluating other research works with questions in mind and a pencil in hand while reading. For instance, how has the author raised the issue? What supporting literature have they mentioned? What methods and procedures have been followed? This process provided me with insights into the methodological aspects of writing.
Regular Follow-up with Supervisor
My strength during thesis writing stemmed from the unwavering support of my supervisor and teachers. I maintained regular communication with them, receiving invaluable step-by-step feedback. Concurrently, I sought guidance from additional teachers, whose input proved instrumental in advancing my writing. One teacher played a pivotal role in helping me formulate insightful questions to delve into the core issues, while two others provided mentorship on formatting, citations, and references. My supervisor played a crucial role in refining various aspects, from polishing my language to structuring ideas within the prescribed framework. Additionally, I received training on methodologies, enhancing the overall quality of my work. This experience underscored the collective effort involved in writing, highlighting the invaluable contribution of academicians.
Post-Thesis Achievements
While pursuing my master’s degree and undertaking the challenging task of thesis writing, I observed that many of my peers regarded it as a mere ritual required for completing their studies, attaching little significance to its relevance in their post-masters life. For them, it became a task that could be completed hastily as the deadline loomed. This perspective not only presented a problem but also posed a threat to the entire academic culture. I share these observations not merely from an analytical standpoint but from my personal experience. By the time I completed my final thesis, I had rewritten and re-edited it twenty-two times—a process similar to churning curd to make ghee. This arduous journey solidified my belief that academic work is inherently sensitive, rigorous, and painstaking.
Discussing my achievement, thesis writing has illuminated the importance of academic writing, a crucial skill for my profession in teaching. As a teacher, effective writing is paramount, and I believe the certificate gains true value when accompanied by essential skills. Evaluating my teaching before and after completing the thesis, I notice a significant difference in my delivery, techniques, and guidance to students—an accomplishment in itself. Additionally, I successfully built relationships with academicians whose support has further fueled my passion for reading and writing. Ultimately, I have developed skills that have granted me both personal and economic freedom.
Conclusion
In conclusion, my experiential insights suggest that authentic transformation frequently necessitates enduring a period of trial. Analogous to the profound metamorphosis undergone by a caterpillar in its transition to a resplendent butterfly, or the ecdysis observed in the skin-shedding process of a snake, an academician is also required to undergo a comparable transformative process. The optimal locus and method for initiating this profound journey of metamorphosis lie in the composition of a master’s thesis.
About the Author: Dasarath Rai teaches English at Ideal Model School, Dhobighat, Lalitpur. He has accomplished a Master’s Degree in English Education from Mahendra Ratna, Campus, Tahachal, Kathmandu. He is interested in teacher professional development, multiculturalism, cultural identity, and materials development in language education.
This study examines the multifaceted impact of artificial intelligence (AI) within the academic realm, specifically focusing on the writing tool ChatGPT. This research aims to explore the perspectives of teachers regarding the use of AI in English language teaching. For this purpose the data were elicited through semi-structured interviews with four English language teachers, especially focusing on the role of teachers and the advantages and limitations of AI-based tools in ELT. The findings of this study contribute to the ongoing discourse on the optimal integration of AI in the academic landscape, providing valuable insights for practitioners, policymakers, and researchers alike.
Keywords:Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, Human Intelligence
Introduction
Artificial Intelligence has garnered significant attention in recent years, propelled by advancements such as the development of ChatGPT, a novel writing tool created by OpenAI. OpenAI (n.d.) asserts that ChatGPT possesses the remarkable capability to generate answers to even the most complex inquiries in the fields of science and technology. ChatGPT has been widely acclaimed for its versatility. ChatGPT stands apart from other chatbots due to its utilization of natural language techniques, enabling it to respond in a truly conversational manner to user-generated inquiries (Metz, 2022). It engages in conversational interactions, allowing it to answer follow-up questions, acknowledge errors, challenge incorrect assumptions, and decline inappropriate requests (OpenAI, n.d.). It is a versatile AI language model that allows users to have interactive conversations and address a wide range of writing challenges with the help of AI-powered agents.
AI-powered tools, such as ChatGPT, have become increasingly popular in the realm of writing and communication. These tools offer users the convenience of automated assistance, enabling them to generate content, brainstorm ideas, and receive instant feedback. According to Wen and Wang (2023), the most promising aspect of ChatGPT is its capacity to use deep learning techniques to provide replies to text input that is human-like at a level far above that of any other AI model. OpenAI’s ChatGPT has gained attention for its ability to generate coherent and contextually relevant responses, making it a potentially valuable resource for writers, researchers, and students alike. Lund and Wang (2023) stated that ChatGPT is a freely available tool created by OpenAI that makes use of GPT technology. It may perform a variety of text-based requests as a sophisticated chatbot, including responding to basic inquiries and carrying out more complex activities like creating thank-you notes and solving problems with productivity.
The utilization of AI tools in educational settings has become a subject of particular interest. ChatGPT shows great promise in open education by enhancing the self-reliance and self-direction of self-taught learners while remaining practical and flexible in its application (Firat, 2023). The integration of AI, particularly ChatGPT, into the academic landscape has sparked numerous discussions and inquiries regarding its impact on various aspects of education. Consequently, this study seeks to provide valuable insights for scholars, educators, and researchers by critically examining the multifaceted implications of AI in the academic realm.
Method
In this study, a narrative research approach was employed to explore the multifaceted impact of AI, specifically ChatGPT, within the academic landscape. The methodology involved the collection and analysis of data from various sources, including interviews with four English teachers and insights from the creators of ChatGPT. By incorporating data from these diverse sources, the study aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter. Interviews were conducted with teachers to collect firsthand experience using AI technologies in English language teaching,
Results and Discussions
The results and discussion section elucidates the outcomes derived from an exploration of the impact of artificial intelligence, specifically ChatGPT, on human intelligence, with a focus on its implications in English language teaching and learning.
The AI’s Influence on Human Intelligence
The advent of artificial intelligence, exemplified by ChatGPT, has ignited extensive debates and discussions regarding its potential impact on human intelligence. The findings of this study revealed a diverse range of perspectives among the respondents. T1 and T3 expressed surprise and concern, highlighting their doubts about humans’ ability to invent a tool that challenges their intellectual relevance. This sentiment underscores the underlying fear of obsolescence that some individuals experience in the face of advancing AI technologies. T1, when confronted with the latest developments in AI, exhibited a palpable sense of surprise. This surprise emanated from the realization that AI has progressed to a point where it challenges the traditional understanding of human intellectual superiority. T1’s astonishment is evident in their statements, such as “I never thought we’d see the day when machines could pose a threat to our cognitive prowess.”
As T1 delved deeper into the implications of these advancements, a concern emerged regarding the feasibility of humans inventing tools that could rival or surpass their intellectual abilities. This concern was expressed through questions like, “Can we really create something that competes with the complexity and depth of human thought?” T1’s skepticism underlines a fundamental doubt about the potential of human ingenuity to keep pace with AI, contributing to the broader narrative of anxiety surrounding the evolving relationship between humans and technology, as discussed by Mukherjee (2020).
On the contrary, T2, when reflecting on the historical trajectory of technological innovations, emphasized the positive narrative that has accompanied these advancements. T2 pointed out the widespread celebration of inventions such as calculators, highlighting their role in revolutionizing mathematical efficiency. “Think about how we celebrated the advent of calculators,” T2 remarked, “they didn’t replace our ability to think but amplified our computational power, making complex tasks more accessible.” T2’s narrative suggests a pattern of historical celebration rooted in the belief that these technologies, far from diminishing human capabilities, have consistently augmented, and improved various aspects of daily life.
In the same vein, T4 emphasized a historical inclination to celebrate innovations that improve efficiency and connectivity; a perspective consistent with the findings of Arini et al. (2022).Drawing parallels to earlier technological advancements, T4 invoked the example of televisions, highlighting their role in shaping the entertainment and news dissemination. T4 argued, “We’ve consistently celebrated inventions that bring people together and make our lives more efficient. It’s a testament to our openness to embracing technologies that amplify human capabilities.” T2 and T4 argued that the historical celebration of technological inventions, such as calculators, televisions, and the internet, indicates a propensity for embracing advancements that enhance human capabilities and improve efficiency (McGee, 2023). McGee’s study further supports this notion by demonstrating ChatGPT’s ability to craft compelling short stories, showcasing the potential of AI in creative endeavours and suggesting that AI can be a valuable tool for augmenting human intelligence.
The positive perspectives expressed by T2 and T4 emphasize the potential benefits of AI in augmenting human intelligence. The respondents highlighted the efficiency and effectiveness of AI-powered technologies, such as intelligent tutoring systems and personalized recommendation algorithms, in enhancing learning, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities. This aligns with the notion that AI can provide access to vast amounts of information and enable faster and more accurate processing, ultimately improving human cognitive performance.
However, it is important not to disregard the concerns raised by T1 and T3. T1’s concerns revolve around the potential consequences of excessive reliance on AI, particularly in the realm of critical thinking and problem-solving. T1, expressing apprehension, noted, “We need to be cautious about depending too much on AI for our thinking processes. There’s a risk of diminishing our ability to critically analyze situations and solve problems independently.” T1 raises an essential consideration, pointing to the necessity of striking a balance between leveraging AI assistance and ensuring the continued development of human cognitive abilities. The concern is anchored in the belief that an overreliance on AI may hinder the cultivation of critical thinking skills, which are fundamental to human intelligence.
Similarly, T3’s caution regarding biases and ethical challenges associated with AI algorithms points to the need for scrutiny and regulation of AI systems to ensure fairness, transparency, and ethical decision-making. T3 remarked, “We can’t ignore the potential biases that AI algorithms may inherit, and the ethical dilemmas they might create. There’s a responsibility to ensure fairness, transparency, and ethical decision-making in AI systems.”
T3’s perspective prompts a critical examination of the societal implications of AI, emphasizing the importance of establishing ethical guidelines and regulatory frameworks to mitigate potential harms. T3’s caution serves as a reminder that the integration of AI requires thoughtful consideration to prevent unintended consequences and to safeguard against biases in decision-making processes.
A notable point of contention raised by T1 is the limitation of AI in replicating creativity and emotional intelligence, which are essential components of human intelligence. Human intelligence encompasses emotional understanding, empathy, and artistic expression, which AI struggles to replicate accurately. T2, when discussing the limitations of AI, emphasized the need to view AI not as a replacement for human creativity but as a tool that can complement and support it. T2 noted, “Sure, AI has its limitations, especially in replicating the depth of human creativity. But we shouldn’t see it as a hindrance; rather, AI can act as a valuable ally, offering new perspectives and possibilities.”
Further, T2 provided examples of AI applications in creative fields, such as music composition and visual arts, where AI algorithms have been used to generate novel ideas and inspire human artists. T2’s perspective reflects an openness to the collaborative potential between humans and AI, suggesting that rather than stifling creativity, AI can catalyze pushing creative boundaries.
Similarly, T4 echoed this optimistic perspective, recognizing the limitations of AI while emphasizing its capacity to act as a supportive force for human creativity. T4 stated, “AI may not fully replicate human creativity, but it can certainly enhance it. We’ve seen instances where AI-driven tools contribute to the creative process, offering fresh insights and sparking innovative ideas.”
T4 referred to collaborative efforts between artists and AI systems, showcasing how these partnerships can result in unique and groundbreaking creations. T4’s narrative underscores the idea that AI has the potential to inspire and augment human creativity rather than diminish it, presenting an optimistic view of the symbiotic relationship between technology and artistic expression.
Artificial Intelligence and its Role in English Language Teaching
The integration of Artificial Intelligence in English Language Teaching is transforming traditional pedagogical approaches. T2 and T4 provide unique insights into the various AI-driven innovations that enhance personalized learning experiences and streamline administrative tasks, contributing to a more effective and dynamic ELT environment.
While T2 emphasizes the concept of personalized learning and the transformative impact of AI in language assessment, as discussed by Sun (2023), T4 delves into AI’s role in refining language skills, particularly in the realms of speech recognition, pronunciation improvement, and immersive experiences. Both perspectives shed light on the multifaceted contributions of AI to language education, providing specific data and insights.
T1’s perspective aligns with T2’s focus on personalized learning, emphasizing the transformative impact of AI in language assessment. T1 acknowledges the potential of AI to revolutionize language learning by stating, “AI has the capability to analyze individual student data and create personalized learning paths. This tailoring extends to adaptive materials and exercises that cater to learners’ strengths and weaknesses, accommodating their unique pace and learning style.”
Furthermore, T1 emphasizes the role of automated evaluations facilitated by AI, covering various language aspects. T1 notes, “Automated evaluations encompass grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and writing. This comprehensive assessment ensures a well-rounded understanding of a student’s language proficiency.” T1 also underscores the accessibility and flexibility of language learning through the integration of AI-driven chatbots, stating, “The inclusion of AI-driven chatbots provides students with a 24/7 conversational interface for continuous language practice, enhancing accessibility and flexibility in language learning.”
In T4’s narrative, the focus is on AI’s role in refining language skills, particularly in the areas of speech recognition, pronunciation improvement, and immersive experiences. T4 underscores the real-time feedback provided by AI-driven applications, stating, “AI-driven applications offer real-time feedback on spoken language, assisting learners in honing their pronunciation and fluency.”
T4 expands on the role of AI in content creation and adaptation, in line with the research conducted by Koraishi (2023), who mentions, “AI contributes to content creation and adaptation, generating interactive materials tailored to individual needs and proficiency levels. This adaptability ensures a personalized and effective learning experience.” The integration of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) technologies, powered by AI, is highlighted by T4 for immersive language learning experiences. T4 notes, “VR and AR technologies, powered by AI, provide immersive language learning experiences, simulating real-world scenarios for practical language use and cultural exposure.”
Moreover, T4 recognizes the value of AI in data analysis for educators, stating, “AI facilitates data analysis for educators, enabling the identification of trends and patterns in student performance. This data-driven approach enhances teaching methods and course effectiveness, ensuring a more tailored and impactful language education.”
T1 and T4’s narratives provide a comprehensive understanding of the varied contributions of AI to language learning. T2’s emphasis on personalized learning and transformative language assessment aligns with T1’s recognition of AI’s capability to tailor learning paths and facilitate automated evaluations. Additionally, T4’s focus on refining language skills through real-time feedback, immersive experiences, and data analysis complements the broader picture of AI’s impact on language education. Together, these perspectives highlight the rich potential of AI to revolutionize language learning, catering to individual needs, enhancing accessibility, and optimizing teaching methodologies.
The incorporation of AI into the academic realm has sparked discussions about the evolving role of teachers. T1 and T3 express concerns about the potential obsolescence of traditional teachers as AI-powered tools gain prominence. On the contrary, T2 and T4 highlight the enduring significance of human teachers, emphasizing the irreplaceable role of physical presence, support, guidance, and feedback in fostering student achievement.
T1, in expressing concerns about the integration of AI, specifically referenced AI-powered tools like ChatGPT potentially rendering traditional English teachers obsolete. T1’s apprehensions centre around the idea that advanced AI tools could replace or diminish the need for human educators. T1 remarked, “With tools like ChatGPT, there’s a risk that traditional English teachers might become obsolete. The worry is that AI could take over the role of guiding and instructing students in language skills.” T1’s perspective reflects broader anxiety about the changing dynamics in the academic sphere and raises questions about the potential displacement of human educators by AI technologies.
T3, in a similar vein, expressed apprehension about the impact of AI-based solutions on the necessity of human educators. T3 pondered whether learners, with access to AI solutions providing instant answers, might no longer require the guidance and expertise of human teachers. T3 articulated, “If AI can provide quick answers to every question, what’s left for human educators to do? There’s a risk that students may no longer see the value in learning from human teachers.” T3’s concerns highlight the potential shift in the perceived value of human educators in the face of readily available AI-based solutions, prompting a reflection on the evolving role of teachers in the educational landscape.
In contrast, T2 and T4 emphasized the enduring significance of human teachers in the learning process. They underscored the importance of physical presence, support, guidance, and feedback as pivotal elements contributing to students’ achievements. T2 specifically addressed the limitations of AI, stating, “While AI can offer assistance, it lacks the personal touch and nuanced understanding that human teachers bring to the table. The physical presence of a teacher is crucial in creating a supportive learning environment.” Similarly, T4 echoed this sentiment, stating, “AI can provide information, but human teachers provide more than just knowledge. They offer support, guidance, and personalized feedback that contribute significantly to students’ academic and personal development.”
The diverse perspectives of T1, T2, T3, and T4 highlight the complex considerations surrounding the integration of AI into education. The narratives collectively underscore the need for a balanced approach that leverages the strengths of AI tools while recognizing the irreplaceable role of human teachers. The integration of AI should be viewed as a supplementary aid, enhancing the educational experience rather than replacing the invaluable qualities that human teachers bring to the academic sphere.
One of the most substantial advantages of AI-based tools in academic writing is their potential to save time and improve efficiency (T1 and T3). Natural language processing algorithms, as highlighted in the study conducted by Golan et al. (2023), can assist authors in identifying and correcting errors in their work, enabling them to focus more on the content of their writing rather than on mechanical aspects. This aspect allows students and researchers to allocate more time and energy to higher-order cognitive processes, such as analysis, synthesis, and critical evaluation. However, it is crucial to exercise caution and critical judgment when utilizing AI tools in writing tasks to ensure the integrity and quality of the work produced. While AI can offer valuable support, it is not a substitute for the intellectual rigour and originality that human authors bring to their scholarly pursuits.
Respondents also acknowledged that while AI assists with various writing tasks, it also has its limitations. For example, ChatGPT struggles to accurately write a biography, underscoring the need for human teachers to fill these gaps and provide a more comprehensive and nuanced educational experience. This aligns with the perspective that AI should be viewed as a complement to, rather than a replacement for, human educators (McGee, 2023). It is essential to recognize the unique qualities and contributions of human teachers in fostering critical thinking, creativity, and interpersonal skills in students. The integration of AI in academic writing offers advantages in terms of time-saving and efficiency improvements, as highlighted by Golan et al. (2023). Nevertheless, a balanced approach that combines AI tools’ strengths with human educators’ expertise and guidance is essential to ensure a comprehensive and high-quality educational experience.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the integration of AI, specifically ChatGPT, in English language teaching has brought forth a range of outcomes with both positive and negative implications. AI Online platforms like Khan Academy, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), and video conferences offer learners ample opportunities for self-directed learning, provides alternative pathways that do not impede individual development or hinder creativity. ChatGPT emerges as a valuable tool for empowering students with personalized advice, support receive tailored guidance. Additionally, ChatGPT serves as a self-evaluation and reflection instrument, cultivating accountability, active participation, and the development of essential skills and strategies for as self-directed learning. Hence, Instead of outright forbidding or dismissing the adoption of this technology, educational institutions should exercise appropriate control and promote responsible usage upholding ethical considerations and academic integrity. Educational institutions can achieve this by adopting a cautious and well-regulated approach that addresses potential risks or challenges while harnessing the potential of ChatGPT to enhance the learning experience (Office of Educational Technology, n.d.).
References
Arini, D. N., Hidayat, F., Winarti, A., & Rosalina, E. (2022). Artificial intelligence (AI)-based mobile learning in ELT for EFL learners: The implementation and learners’ attitudes. https://lighthouse-pub.com/ijesss/article/view/170
Firat, M. (2023). How ChatGPT can transform autodidactic experiences and open education?https://osf.io/9ge8m/
Lund, B. D., & Wang, T. (2023). Chatting about chatgpt: How may AI and GPT Impact Academia and libraries? Library Hi Tech News, 40(3), 26–29. https://doi.org/10.1108/lhtn-01-2023-0009
Mukherjee, R. (2020). The Introduction of Artificial Intelligence in ESL Teaching: Possibilities and Limitations. Changing Trends in Human Thoughts and Perspectives: Science, Humanities and Culture Part I, 89-93. https://jogamayadevicollege.ac.in/uploads/1594634946.pdf#page=101
Office of Educational Technology. (n.d.). Artificial intelligence in education: Promises and implications.https://tech.ed.gov/ai/
Sun, T. (2023). The Potential Use of Artificial Intelligence in ESL Writing Assessment: A Case Study of IELTS Writing Tasks. Irish Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning, 7(2), 42-51. https://journal.ilta.ie/index.php/telji/article/view/137
Wen, J., & Wang, W. (2023). The future of ChatGPT in academic research and publishing: A commentary for clinical and translational medicine. Clinical and Translational Medicine, 13(3). https://doi.org/10.1002/ctm2.1207.
About the Author: Dammar Singh Saud, currently serving as an assistant professor at Far Western University Darchula Multiple Campus in Nepal, earned his MPhil in English Language Education from Kathmandu University. His research focuses on several areas, including ELT Pedagogy, ICT in ELT, Professional Development, and Translanguaging.
In this article, I explore the influence of locally and culturally accessible instructional materials in teacher education programs, emphasizing my reflections on their utilization by educators. This investigation stems from my research conducted during the completion of my M.Phil. Degree at Kathmandu University. The primary objective of my study was to examine the use, efficacy, and overall impact of integrating local and culturally available materials in teacher education programs across various universities. This research holds significance as it adds to the discourse on the globalization of education and underscores the importance of culturally sensitive pedagogical approaches.
Locally and Culturally Available Instructional Materials
In the Nepalese context, the availability of locally accessible resources has reshaped the landscape of EFL (English as a Foreign Language) educational materials. Various items, including folktales, traditional melodies, cultural artefacts, and local literature, prove effective in contextualizing subjects related to global language learning in an EFL classroom. Additionally, materials present in the campus library, such as newspapers, magazines, journals, and photos, can be utilized. Official documents released by institutions, such as notices, letters, brochures, and pamphlets, also serve as locally available materials. Teachers can collect photos and short video clips of local working people, and display them in the classroom through multimedia. Items like restaurant menus, stamps, and other local artefacts can further contribute to contextualizing classroom content. These instructional materials provide educators with a significant opportunity to create a vibrant and engaging learning environment
Use and Impact of Instructional Materials
Observing how effectively teachers integrated these materials into the university-prescribed subjects during my research was inspiring. There was a noticeable enhancement in both teacher and student engagement. Teachers reported a stronger connection to the material, enabling them to deliver courses more effectively. The resonance of these materials with their own experiences improved students’ motivation and enthusiasm for studying English in teacher education programs. Not only did locally and culturally relevant teaching materials prove to be valuable assets for language learning, but they also instilled a sense of pride in students for their culture and local environment. Incorporating these resources made the learning process more meaningful by bridging the gap between the local cultural context and the global language of English.
Teachers’ Viewpoints
During interviews with EFL teachers actively utilizing local resources, I observed a strong sense of empowerment and ownership. Recognizing their cultural heritage as a valuable asset in education, these teachers displayed a renewed passion for their work. Many teachers mentioned that incorporating locally relevant resources enhanced their teaching methods and broadened their understanding. They also noted an improvement in their students’ understanding and engagement in teaching-learning activities. Students not only learned English but also gained an understanding of the cultural contexts essential to the language, highlighting the interplay between language and culture. Teachers believed that a strong relationship between language and culture could bring about positive changes in teaching and learning tailored to the needs of the local context.
Relevancy of Locally and Culturally Available Instructional Materials
It is crucial not to overstate the significance of locally and culturally appropriate teaching resources in the Nepalese EFL environment. An increasing number of teachers recognize the importance of preserving and celebrating local cultures in the classroom as education becomes more globalized. The use of native or local resources establishes a connection between the need to preserve local identity and the global demand for English language proficiency. Participant teachers also emphasized the importance of using materials that contextualize global content in local contexts, facilitating effective student learning. Integrating local materials is not just an essential educational strategy but a necessity in a country like Nepal, given its diversity and richness in linguistic and cultural aspects.
My thoughts on Locally and Culturally Materials
The research I conducted serves as a stepping stone to further understanding the importance and relevance of using locally and culturally available assets in teaching-learning activities. My experience as a researcher has been thoughtful and intimate. Witnessing the positive and transformational effects of such instructional resources emphasizes the need for a paradigm shift in educational methods. This has strengthened my belief that learning should be a lively and contextual process, tailored to each student’s specific needs and surroundings. Beyond target language literature, materials from native languages, folklore, cultural heritages, traditions, and locally available resources like newspapers, magazines, journals, brochures, pamphlets, photos, and audio-video clips of local culture and settings have proven to be valuable instructional materials. The universality of cultural significance and contextualization encourages the exploration of similar approaches in various educational conditions worldwide.
However, it’s crucial to acknowledge the challenges that arise when conducting research in the local native context of different communities. Curriculum designers and policymakers should prioritize the incorporation of local and cultural materials in teacher education programs, as teachers are the primary change agents in society. When teachers possess knowledge and pride in local and cultural materials, they are more likely to integrate these resources into the classroom. This, in turn, encourages students to engage in learning as they see their local and cultural context reflected in their studies. Therefore, addressing the need for effective teacher education programs, establishing uniform curriculum guidelines, and constructing a supportive policy framework focused on the use of local and cultural instructional materials is essential.
Finally, a promising avenue for transformative education lies in the use of locally and culturally appropriate instructional materials in EFL teacher education programs in Nepal, as explored in my research. The benefits to educators, learners, and the broader educational landscape underscore how this approach can enhance language learning outcomes and foster cultural pride. I hope that my study contributes to the growing body of knowledge that envisions education as a dynamic, socially conscious enterprise. It serves as a call to action for researchers, educators, and policymakers to collaborate in the ongoing discourse on the direction of language education. The diverse blend of innovation and tradition in the Nepalese context offers inspiration for educators worldwide seeking to create inclusive and culturally relevant learning environments.
About the Author: Sagar Paudel earned an MPhil in English Language Education (ELE), from Kathmandu University, Nepal. Mr. Poudel is an associate professor at Adhikabi Bhanubhakta Campus (TU), Damauli, Nepal. Mr Poudel currently serves as the Head of the Department cum Assistant Campus chief at the Campus.
It gives us immense pleasure to release the third quarterly issue (July- September 2023) of ELT Choutari. This issue is non-thematic and replicate different experiences of teaching and learning English in different contexts. This issue has covered a wide range of areas of classroom pedagogy, classroom management, students’ motivation, students centred pedagogy, teachers professional transformation and practitioners’ reflections.
We believe that documenting teachers’ teaching experiences, challenges, and successes fosters a deeper level of understanding of their pedagogical approaches. The (emerging) practitioners learn innovative teaching methodologies, adapt to new language trends and develop relevant materials effective and useful in their language classroom. We honour the practitioners’ voices, their personal expeditions, and challenges to foster a collaborative culture and supportive environment for igniting change within their academia.
In the first post, Shiva Mainaly highlights the significant impacts of Call for Papers (CFP) on the conference attendees. He shares how important it is for the responder to respond about CFP and how it backfires if it is not addressed appropriately. The author further highlights how CFPs tend to address any aspect of burgeoning issues, ranging from colonial reckoning, the rhetoric of precarity and the rise of authoritarianism to social justice, linguistic justice, power and precarity attendant to AI’s growing application in learning and teaching space.
Similarly, in the second blog post, Surendra Prasad Ghimire provides a personal account of teaching English in low-resourced rural communities and navigates some unique challenges. The author provides insight into the complexities of low-resourced classrooms and offers some ways of teaching English in a rural context.
Likewise, Sangeeta Basnet in her reflective narrative shares how psychological assets play crucial roles in language classrooms and how those problems cause deterioration in academic performance. She also suggests some ways to address parents and teachers to create a healthy environment for them to share their problems, hear their past stories, and encourage and inspire them to do better in their academics.
Tripti Chaudhary, in the fourth blog post, shares her nostalgia and believes to have a paradigm shift in teaching pedagogy since the grammar-translation method. She further discusses how the rote memorisation has been transformed into a practice-driven approach in our academia in the 21st century.
Finally, in the fifth blog post, Dammar Singh Saud reflects on his experience of teaching culturally diverse students in school and shares how he was influenced by his father’s dedication to education and selflessness. He further highlights how innovative teaching method and the use of ICT plays pivotal roles in teaching teaching-learning process.
Here is the list of blogs for you to navigate in this issue:
Finally, I would like to thank our editors and reviewers in this issue, Mohan Singh Saud, Nanibabu Ghimire, Jeevan Karki, Jnanu Raj Poudel, Sagar Poudel, Karuna Nepal, Ekraj Adhikari, Yadu Gnawali, Binod Duwadi, Puskar Chaudhary, and Dasharath Rai, for their relentless effort and contribution.
ELT Choutari is a platform for researchers, scholars, educators, and practitioners to share their perspectives, practices, and stories from classrooms and communities. If you enjoy reading the articles, please feel free to share them in and around your circle and drop your comments.
We encourage you to contribute to our next issue (October-December) and send your articles and blogs to 2elt.choutari@gmail.com.
Aristotle urges us to be a master of metaphors to grasp a living reality of a thing. Following the footsteps of Aristotle, George Lakoff and M. Johnson introduce a perspective on metaphor—a perspective that takes metaphor as imaginative rationality. Admittedly, I am inspired by these two theorists. My inspiration is that I could not help using a simile to share my modest success in getting some of my responses to Call for Conference Proposals (CFP) accepted: Writing changes: remaking rhetoric in times of uncertainty organized by Corridors 2022 at Virginia Tech University, and Geographies of the Fantastic and the Quotidian organized by Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association (PAMLA) 2022 at University of Los Angeles California. For Corridors, I developed a paper entitled “Pedagogical Emasculation in the Wake of AI’s Growing Applications”, and for PAMLA, I submitted an abstract with the title “Backsliding New Materialism and a Resurgence of Interest in Virtue Ethics and Anthropomorphism”.
While responding to these two CFPs successfully, I came to know that responding to a CFP is almost similar to being a gentleman caller. Forgive my wild rush to John Dryden called ‘yoking heterogeneous ideas by violence’. More technically, responding to CFP and being a gentleman caller are distinctly disparate realms of activities. Just as forwarding a love/marriage proposal without paying sufficient courtship to a lady for a quite bit of time may backfire and probably end in rejection, so is answering to CFP without doing an extensive inquiry and without having background information on the topic. Any rush to reply to the CFP may backfire on the responder, often ending in outright rejection, which might weaken confidence and concentration. It is this point of commonality that pushed me to choose this figural trope. The fate of being a jilted lover is a bitter pill to swallow for any obsessed lover, in much the same way as it is for a responder to cope with the rejection of the abstract submission to CFP. With this figural gesture, I would like to reflect on my experience of responding to a host of CFPs.
We have seen many calls for proposals (CFP): CFP for conferences; CFP for book chapters and journal articles; CFP for intermezzo and review essays; CFP for web texts and digital projects; CFP for a success story and cross-border narrative; CFP for blogs and reflective writings, CFP for cases of advocacy, activism, and intervention; and to name just a few. Scholars, researchers, and instructors alike tend to respond to different CFPs they come across. Every responder to CFP deploys a nuanced approach. In spite of each scholar’s unique response style to CFP, there should be a few widely practised formularies to deal with CFP. Based on a few instances of my success in responding to CFP, I would like to craft a short account of responding to CFP.
In trying to emerge as a conference hopper, I kept exploring many other venues that organize national and international conferences such as the New Berry Library Conference (NBLC), Popular Culture Association (PCA), Modern Language Association (MLA) Pedagogical Training and Workshop, Northeast Modern Language Association (NEMLA), Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC), Rhetoric Society of Europe (RSE), Rhetoric Society of America (RSA) and the list goes on. Actually, these venues release CFPs that tend to address any aspect of burgeoning issues, ranging from colonial reckoning, the rhetoric of precarity and the rise of authoritarianism to social justice, the linguistic justice, power and precarity attendant to AI’s growing application in learning and teaching space. Being well informed of all these burgeoning issues and of relevant proposals to address the issue constitute a core competency on each CFP responder’s part. Based on these two and various other successive experiences of responding to CFP, I would like to talk about some tips and strategies with which I succeeded in getting my conference proposals approved. I presented at a conference scheduled to take place at the University of Virginia Tech. Similarly, another conference proposal of mine was also accepted. In the second week of November 2022, I presented at a conference at the University of California, Los Angeles.
First, getting to the heart of an issue that takes centre stage in the CFP description is essential if we are to touch all the bases of CFP. While describing an issue/topic for CFP, the CFP issuer tends to be specific in producing an outline of the issue; at the same time, they often write, ‘the CFP moves around this topic, but not limited to…’, to allow for a somewhat flexible space to explore and probe the proposed issue.
Previously, while formulating an excellent abstract draft for a conference call, I used to take a general approach without homing in on a specific aspect of the CFP. After multiple rounds of rejection, I learned that people want to listen to specific things. Though the conference offers a smorgasbord of various potential topics, it would be in our best interest to dwell on the specificity of the issue. As soon as I shirked off this tendency to drift away from the axis of specificity, I realized that it wouldn’t be challenging to hit the target with the single most focused thrust to the specificity. To this end, it appears that any temptation toward delving deep into the topic in a manner most lithe and supple because exploring any issue by being specific is crucial to the acceptance success of a response to CFP. As to some heuristics and nuances with which the exploration of an issue would lead to a reliable unfolding of the issue, I have come to propose here: Test the efficacy of the issue in different cultural contexts, check on its limit, be aware of its fallibility, assess if its relevance is rooted in time and occasion, reflect on its impact on our normative practice and pragmatic life, and finally stretch your imaginative faculty to probe the issue under consideration with a detached mindset. The simultaneous shifts in my mindset led me to come across an acceptable topic for the CFP I was managing to respond to.
Second, though the power of forming a fresh, attention-grabbing, and shift-stimulating perspective of any responder to CFP is highly valued, the ability to introduce this perspective tactfully and without a lag matters the most. To translate this realization into action, I reflected on my expectations about how CFP evaluators take my abstract submission and what metric they would apply to assess the submitted abstract. I also pondered if their metrics and criteria remain consistent or if they apply abstract-specific metrics. I did my best to align the core thrust of my conference abstract with the CFP evaluators’ submission-specific yardstick of judgment. At the top of my talent, I aimed at ‘striking the right chord’; with the right chord being struck precisely, the net outcome is an acceptance call.
Third, the responder to CFP should not come to terms with the issue on the first go. Instead, the responder should let the proposed issue come to terms with a cumulative effort to develop a fresh perspective. For this, curious and consistent immersion in the latent and the manifest dimensions of the issue is required of those who play what Peter Elbow calls the Believing and Doubting Game. The fourth point is the assertion that with the idea of responding to CFP comes the responsibility to CFP. CFP wishes to garner a wide range of ideas, thoughts, propositions, perspectives, comments, questions, critiques, and curiosities. Most CFPs expect a concrete contribution of ideas to the platform the CFP is creating. Thus, every responder to CFP needs to internalize that to respond to CFP is to contribute something new, a fresh perspective, a nuanced approach to dealing with the proposed issue anew, a distinct approach indeed!
The fifth point that guided my approach to responding to CFPs is being aware that often CFPs asks for a fresh take on burgeoning issue/problem. Any response to CFP should look like a solution. Adopting a down-to-earth overture is a curtain-raiser to grappling with CFP head-on. The sixth tip comes in the guise of tonality. Maintaining an insistent tone serves two-pronged purposes: one is to bracket off any interference from digressive and deluding thoughts, and the other is to help the proposed perspective gain purchase. The use of an insistent tone wards off any trace of opaqueness that might arise while homing in on the target expectation of CFP. A response to CFP needs to be formed in keeping with the persistent presumption that whether others accept a proposal or not hinges on the same tone underpinning the proposal’s substratum.
The seventh clue to conveying a response to CFP is tricky. Throughout career-building in the academic field, students, scholars, and instructors respond to different types of CFP. Their responses often vary from acceptance and partial acceptance to outright rejection. In the case of outright rejection, it might be tough to bear the brunt of rejection, which might sap the spirit and entelechy one has been cultivating since the beginning of one’s academic footprint. In this condition of being in a low spirit due to sporadic rejection, one must groom oneself with a philosophical maxim, dictum, or conviction. In the wake of angst and anxiety consequent upon the rejection of any response to CFP, it would be tactful if one with the experience of rejection switches instantly from the erstwhile mental frame of lapsing into frustration and lamentation to a new mindset informed by the conviction that having been rejected means being hurled on the rose bed of renewal.
The last trick that may prove pivotal is catching a glimpse of and acting following the zeitgeist of contemporaneity that by and now diffuses across the world of CFPs. The spirit and entelechy of inclusion have penetrated every stroke of knowledge-making. Any linguistic shred and fragment are redolent of an alienating, exclusionary, and unjust practice, triggering a domino effect that ultimately spoils the inherent acceptability of the proposed perspective, no matter how full the proposal would be. All these strategic clues ultimately come down to a praxis that justice-fostering, dignity-ennobling, and identity-acknowledging rather than a collocational, standardized, and stereotypes-filled language pave the way for enriching the acceptability of proposed response to CFP.
Graduate students preparing to enter the job market are always hard-pressed to devote their whole time to completing their dissertation research. Nevertheless, they must invest more time in responding to CFPs for conferences, book reviews, review essays, success narratives, cross-border narratives, writing about their observation, and reflective writing. Since responding to the CFPs for a book chapter, journal articles, and intermezzo requires both intensive and extensive efforts, involvement, and time, it is relevant to conclude that trying to catch low-hanging fruit is an appropriate option for them. However, in no way should it not be understood as an underestimation of the potency and potentiality of graduate students inching closer to a threshold of the job market because there is quite an incredible number of graduate students who have already adorned their CVs with gems of their productive scholarship. However, speaking from a practical perspective and arguing in consideration of the pressure of time, including plenty of both teaching and administrative responsibility on the part of graduate students, there is every reason to advise that trying to catch low-hanging fruit still sounds like a lucrative and economical alternative for graduate students. In connection with this, responding to the CFPs for a conference, book review, review essay, essay on graduate student’s observation, and reflective writing such as cross-border narrative would be inviting and enticing for Ph.D. candidates on the verge of graduation who have built up a professional mindset of plunging into the job market soon.
At last, I would like to opine my thoughts on a type of stereotype that recurs in most of the announcements of CFP. On seeing sentences—such as ‘for book reviews and review essays, graduate students are encouraged and welcomed to contribute’—I felt irreparably stung by a scorpion of inferiority and of being pigeonholed. A query flashed across my mind instantly. There anyone, including me, could not but ask a question—why cannot graduate students, especially PhD candidates, respond to higher CFPs? The answer is obvious. In a general sense, responding to the higher CFPs demands time, resources and involvement. Graduate students are busy people who have a lot of work to do. I too was not an exception to this condition. Therefore, I was occasionally pained to see this sentence, but now I have mastered such a normal thought. With this unpleasant stream of thought, I would like to cut a long story short by saying that trying to catch low-hanging fruit—CFPs for conferences, book reviews, review essays, and reflective and observational writings—is a wise approach to redressing the harsh rhetoric of publish or perish. For clarity’s sake, I have presented below some pointers that could be helpful for any responder responding to a CFP:
Read and understand the CFP: It is in our best interest to go through the CFP document to understand the theme, topic, and requirements. Supportive here is the idea of paying attention to guidelines, word limits, formatting instructions, and submission deadlines.
Choose the right topic: Selecting a topic that aligns well with the theme of the conference or event is of enormous importance. Responders ought to make sure their research is relevant and innovative. Being mindful of the contributions the responder’s abstract makes is worth pondering.
Prepare an abstract: Of all the pointers pivotal to making a success of responding to CFP, crafting a compelling abstract that summarizes our paper or presentation is instrumental. So, the responder needs to clearly state the problem they are addressing, their methodological choice, and critical ideas and insights. It is good to ensure that the abstract is concise and engaging. The most crucial thing is the need to capture the attention of the reviewers.
Follow the submission guidelines: Successful responders to CFP ought to adhere to the submission guidelines provided by the organizers. They should pay close attention to formatting requirements, citation styles, and any specific file formats they may request.
Highlight your contribution: Each scholarly and institutional venue tends to judge an individual contributor to CFP in terms of their contribution. To that end, it is essential for them to clearly articulate the unique contribution of their work. The key to mastering this hurdle is to explain how it fills a gap in the existing literature, provides novel insights, or offers a fresh perspective. The responder need not dither about emphasizing their research’s significance and potential impact.
Present your qualifications: In an age in which an assertion is evaluated vis-à-vis self, highlighting our expertise, qualifications, and relevant experience in the field we are part of is of paramount importance. To buttress our credibility as responders to CFPs, providing a brief overview of our academic or professional background is imperative to establish credibility.
Proofread and edit: Before turning in our response to CFPs, it would be a cautionary measure to carefully proofread and edit our paper or abstract. If we ensure that our abstract is well-structured, free of grammatical errors, and coherent, it will be accepted. This is the principle we all need to live by. For that purpose, we can opt for feedback on our abstract from colleagues or mentors to improve the quality of our writing.
Meet the deadline: Submitting our response without crossing the specified deadline is advantageous because late submissions are typically not accepted. Hence, being proactive and active while planning our time and allowing for ample review and revision is of utmost importance.
Tailor your response: What matters most is the customization of our response to the specific requirements of the CFP. Reviewers are interested in hearing specific things; no one likes hearing general things. Thus, it is good to keep any idea of submitting generic or recycled content at bay. Tuning our response with the particular and genuine requirement is pivotal to actualizing the chance of acceptance.
Be professional and courteous: Since being soft and gracious matters a lot, it would be beneficial if they interact with the organizers and reviewers professionally and respectfully if they respond promptly to any inquiries or requests for additional information. The secret formulary to heighten our chance of having our abstract approved is one associated with living with a growth mindset and collaborative disposition throughout the process.
Works Cited
Garver, E. (1994). Aristotle’s rhetoric: An art of character. University of Chicago Press.
Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (2008). Metaphors we live by. University of Chicago Press.
About the Author: Shiva Mainaly is a PhD in rhetoric and composition from the University of Louisville. Currently, at North Dakota State University (NDSU), he will become a postdoctoral research fellow from August 2023. A prolific author, he has published numerous articles in prestigious journals like the Journal of International Students, Constellation, and Composition Studies.
I faced challenges in managing an effective, interactive classroom and creating learning atmosphere in my early teaching career as an assistant lecturer of English at Hetauda School of Management and Social Sciences, Nepal. Due to my overconfidence, I used to think that knowing contents of teaching was enough for effective teaching. Therefore, I prepared for the classes by focusing very well on the content of the prescribed English textbooks and allied materials. I mostly used to adopt lecture methods for teaching; therefore, students would receive very little time to interact in the class. On the other hand, students’ seating arrangement, two rows of fixed desks and benches, was designed in a way to facilitate teacher-centered and lecture-based instruction. There was a projector for displaying slides, videos, and other related digital materials in the classroom. There would be an average of fifty undergraduate students in the classroom with proper uniforms. However, the environment of the classroom until the middle of the academic session became chaotic and messy. Therefore, I had to spend a long time systematizing the classroom before beginning the lecture, and time and again I had to stop because of an unpleasant classroom environment. Despite the various attempts to manage the classroom, it remained messy and chaotic. In this narrative , I reflect on how I effectively managed such a noisy and chaotic classroom in the middle of the academic year.
Introduction
In contrast to behaviour management, classroom management is a broader concept that focuses on the management of all the students in the classroom (Stevenson et al., 2020). Classroom management incorporates all the actions of the teachers in constructing the classroom environment to promote students’ academic growth and social behaviour (Velásquez et al., 2023). In addition, effective classroom management encourages the students to obtain maximum benefits from classroom activities and controls the unwanted behaviour of the students in the classroom (Bozkuş, 2021). Therefore, a well-managed classroom has wider implications as it aims to organize an orderly teaching and learning environment to enhance the learning outcomes of classroom activities and promote students’ social relations (Brophy, 1983; Marzano & Marzano, 2003; Shank et al., 2022; Wubbels, 2011). Moreover, some studies reported that managing the classroom at the beginning of the academic session made it easier for teachers to handle the class successfully during an academic session (Emmer et al., 1980; Lopez-Pelcastre, 2023). However, from the beginning of the academic session, I encountered various obstacles in managing a well-organized classroom environment. I found that the students were almost not concentrating in my class. They began making noises in the classroom including personal talks with their friends, which didn’t contribute to the learning vibes in the classroom. Some of the students developed unique ways to disturb the class, such as tapping their shoes on the floor, making a sudden unusual sound etc. Others would zone out, which indicated that they did not have motivation to attend my class.
This situation had been going on for a few months, which made me almost frustrated with the teaching profession. I also did not have personal satisfaction, and even I could not sleep very well at night. Sometimes, these noisy students would bother me even in my dreams. To get rid of this, I read several books about managing the classroom and realized that teaching profession requires numerous qualities to be successful, and having only knowledge about the content of teaching would not be adequate. Then I began pondering how to effectively manage the classroom. And I argue that noisy and chaotic classrooms can be effectively managed by understanding the students properly, reviewing our teaching methods and classroom activities, and receiving feedback from the students even in the middle of the academic session.
Why behind what
Gradually, I began exploring the reasons behind such chaotic and disturbing classrooms through formal and informal communication with the students. Some reported that they were feeling bored because of long lectures, and due to lack of classroom activities, etc. Based on what they shared and my experiences, the following were some of the possible reasons for my classroom mismanagement:
The lecture method to deliver the textbook contents made the class monotonous and didn’t give them space to share their ideas in the classroom. They received limited opportunities for questioning and arguments in the classroom.
Lack of activities to engage students was another reason as they did not receive an opportunity to construct knowledge by interacting among them. They were limited with my lectures, handouts, and prescribed textbooks.
The inability to understand and address students’ interests and passion and merely emphasizing the textbooks.
Lack of adopting student-centred teaching methods and adopting teacher-centred approaches. Students had fewer opportunities to interact with each other and had to participate in the classwork on the basis of what I instructed them. They received less opportunities for creative and constructive activities in the classroom; instead, they became passive listeners.
Ways Forward
By exploring the actual reasons behind classroom mismanagement, I transformed the ways of teaching, focusing on student-centred teaching approaches. The following were the ways forward to overcome the problems of mismanagement in my classroom:
Establishing Friendly Relationships with Students
I established friendly relationships with the students by properly understanding them and respecting their ideas. I spent adequate time listening to their responses about their various issues within the classroom and outside the classroom, such as in the interval time, in the canteen, library, etc. Gradually, I realized that establishing better relationships with students supported my ability to receive feedback from the students and ultimately assisted in transforming the classroom into a more interactive learning space. In addition, such relationships helped the students develop a positive attitude toward each other and provided enough room for understanding. As a result, I found greater participation of students in classroom activities and a change in their attitude toward being more positive, supportive, and collaborative inside and outside the classroom. Consequently, the previous noisy and chaotic classroom disappeared instead; a more interactive, collaborative, and learning classroom appeared with the positive vibration of exploring insightful information both in me and the students. In addition, I found that such friendly relationships with the students established a solid foundation of academic excellence and transformed the students into more responsible individuals for their work. However, I found that very few of the students attempted to misuse such friendly relations by involving themselves in the debate out of context in the classroom and making various excuses about their classroom activities and home assignments.
Teaching with Fun
I transformed my ways of teaching by focusing on various approaches such as discussion, interaction, collaboration, presentation, argumentation, and so forth. I minimized my long, monotonous lecture method and focused on mini-lectures if they were required. As a result, students began participating in learning activities as I promoted group discussion, sharing, interaction, and collaboration in the classroom. I formed some groups in the classroom to have discussions on various issues related to solving the problems. From the few days’ practice, the majority of the students learned to be engaged in classroom activities and developed their power of patience by waiting their turn and respecting each other’s ideas. In addition, I blended some sort of humour into the classroom by cracking jokes and sharing some real and imaginative stories if I realized students were feeling bored. Moreover, I began to display English videos associated with ongoing classroom discussions that assisted me in creating an interesting learning environment in the classroom by boosting their English language power and providing fun for them. Teaching with fun with the support of various videos and sharing jokes and stories in the classroom helped me energize the students for learning by involving them in various classroom activities instead of making unnecessary noises. These findings, to some extent, aligned with the study of MacSuga-Gage et al. (2012), who claimed that effective teaching helped manage the classroom.
Individual Care for the Students in the Classroom
I found various kinds of students in the classroom with unique manners and ways of learning. I began to think about them, particularly focusing on how to motivate them in classroom activities. I started individually supporting the students, mainly selecting those who rarely participated in classroom activities. Instead of staying in the same place in the classroom, I visited individual students, particularly during classroom activities, which helped me understand the real problems of the students. During such visits, students asked even simple problems that they could not ask in the mass (perhaps they feared that their friends would laugh at them). Such practices assisted me in developing personal relationships with the students, which ultimately contributed to managing the classroom. As I began supporting them, they also became supportive in the classroom. They started listening to my instructions and following the procedures of the activities without disturbing the entire learning environment in the classroom. In addition, I prepared their individual portfolios, which helped me understand the students better and helped them in the classroom. Ultimately, such individual care in the classroom assisted the students to be more proactive and interactive in classroom activities, which gradually supported me in transforming the previously chaotic and noisy classroom into a more innovative and interactive space.
Conclusion
Establishing friendly relationships with students and teaching with fun and individual care for the students in the classroom, as discussed above helped me in creating an effective learning environment in my classroom. Pondering over the mismanagement of the classroom, receiving feedback from the students, and transforming the classroom teaching and learning process accordingly contributed to solving the problems of mismanagement in the classroom. As a result, my noisy, chaotic classroom gradually turned into innovative, interactive, collaborative classroom.
References
Bozkuş, K. (2021). A systematic review of studies on classroom management from 1980 to 2019. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 13(4). https://doi.org/10.26822/iejee.2021.202
Brophy, J. E. (1983). Classroom organization and management. The elementary school journal, 83(4), 265-285.
Emmer, E. T., Evertson, C. M., & Anderson, L. M. (1980). Effective classroom management at the beginning of the school year. The Elementary School Journal, 80(5), 219-231.
Lopez-Pelcastre, A. (2023). The influence of classroom management on student learning and behavior in the classroom.
MacSuga-Gage, A. S., Simonsen, B., & Briere, D. E. (2012). Effective teaching practices: Effective teaching practices that promote a positive classroom environment. Beyond Behavior, 22(1), 14-22. https://doi.org/org/10.1177/107429561202200104
Marzano, R. J., & Marzano, J. S. (2003). The key to classroom management. Educational Leadership, 61(1), 6-13.
Stevenson, N. A., VanLone, J., & Barber, B. R. (2020). A commentary on the misalignment of teacher education and the need for classroom behaviour management skills. Education Treatment of Children, 43(4), 393-404. https://doi.org/org/10.1007/s43494-020-00031-1
Velásquez, A. M., Mendoza, D. F., & Nanwani, S. K. (2023). Becoming a competent classroom manager: A case study of a preservice teacher education course. Teaching Education, 34(2), 147-169. https://doi.org/org/10.1080/10476210.2022.2048646
Wubbels, T. (2011). An international perspective on classroom management: What should prospective teachers learn? Teaching Education, 22(2), 113-131. https://doi.org/org/10.1080/10476210.2011.567838
About the Author: Surendra Prasad Ghimire is an MPhil Scholar at Nepal Open University, Nepal, and a Lecturer of English at a QAA-certified college, Hetauda School of Management and Social Sciences, Makwanpur, Nepal.
“I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about besides homework.’’ ~ Lily Tomlin
As a teacher, every day I enter the class, I feel like it is my first day in my teaching career. I have been teaching for more than 13 years. My greatest inspiration is my father who served at the same private school in India for 25 years. I sense that I have inherited strong qualities from him for instance, to motivate the students, listen to them and help them with some suggestions. Back in my childhood days, I used to hear lots of stories about students’ lives and problems shared through my father and how he supported them throughout. Back then I didn’t really focus on those stories much, but now as a teacher, I am experiencing the need for motivation in my students. Along with being a great motivator for his students, my father was also strict in his principles. As time changes, the way of teaching method also changes. However, the role of a teacher as a motivator for students always remains the same. Students’ life is not only limited to their academic achievements, they are to be prepared for their lives.
One of the most significant aspects of a student’s educational experience is their academic performance, which is determined by a variety of psychological factors that might create an impact on their cognitive, emotional, and behavioural functioning. Among those psychological factors, motivation is one of the most important psychological variables that might affect student performance.
Motivation is what pushes them to participate in learning activities, finish their assignment and be prepared for their future. It is one of the psychological factors that affect students’ performance. Firstly, most of the students’ lives are full of chaos since the widespread pandemic has left many negative effects on their lives. Secondly, they are unable to set up a fixed goal for themselves and they are easily distracted by common factors. Lastly, their attention span and patience level are very low and they are hardly able to possess a determined mindset.
A real-life example of this is one of my students who had been affected in her academic performance due to a lack of motivation. Before the pandemic, she was one of the top ten students in her class. She was not only good at academics but was extremely creative. We were very satisfied and impressed with her creativity. She was a happy and lively child. During the lockdown, we weren’t able to meet physically and we were obligated to conduct the online classes. It seemed everything was going well during the online classes. However, when the physical classes resumed, I noticed a drastic change in her behaviour. I felt that it was because of the gap in which we were not able to keep in touch with students’ activities during online classes.
Last year, she was in grade 8. I was her English teacher. The charm on her face, her lively and radiant personality and her curiosity to learn new things were no longer visible on her face. I noticed but waited until the result of the first terminal examination. When I saw the result, I was stunned to see that her performance was not as good as before. The next day, I decided to have a conversation with her parents. Unfortunately, they didn’t come to school to meet me. After two days, I called her in my leisure period and had a talk with her. At first, she was reluctant to share her feelings with me. She gave me a fake smile and told me that she would try her level best in the upcoming examinations. I knew that she was hiding something from me and felt uncomfortable to share it. I reminded her about the days when she was very cheerful, ready to take part in all extracurricular activities and make us happy with her creative work on various occasions. Her eyes were filled with tears. And she wept in front of me. My intention wasn’t to hurt her but to help her. She revealed her family issues, which demotivated her to do anything related to her studies and all. Her family environment wasn’t favourable enough for her to concentrate on her studies well. Her family issues started during the pandemic. She loved to come to school every day, meet her friends and teachers. However, she wasn’t able to concentrate on her studies. I talked to her for around 30 minutes that day and asked her to go to class.
I discussed her issue with my colleagues and came up with many solutions to motivate her and to recover her own position on academics from that day on. In my class, I encouraged my students in various ways for at least five minutes before I start teaching. Furthermore, I managed to engage her in creative activities during the leisure time. She is interested in painting, journaling and crafting. I encouraged her to present some decorative articles for classroom decorations. I felt that other students might also be going through similar situations. I tried to build a strong rapport with everybody, sometimes communicated with them casually about their problems and made them feel comfortable to start conversations with me. I became a friendly figure for my students and they were comfortable sharing their concerns. Besides studies, I came to know that students’ achievement was affected by various psychological factors which provoked me to adoption of different ways to motivate my students and assist them to solve their problems for at least five minutes during my class.
After 2 months, I noticed that the previous charm and the similar curiosity that she possessed before had thread recovered. From that time to time, I talked to her and made her feel at ease and motivated her. Sometimes, I spent my classes just listening to them. I felt that being a teacher, my responsibility won’t be complete if I am unable to motivate my students and help them to overcome various obstacles in life. The girl came to her original position and she was very happy with the small efforts that I made for her. She started to show her good performance in studies and other aspects. I was very happy and felt like my small efforts helped my student to recognize her talent and to regain her academic success.
Now the girl is in Grade 9 and luckily, I am her class teacher. She is very happy to be in my section. On that day, I learnt a great lesson that a teacher’s responsibility is not just limited to teaching a class. The greatest achievement in a teacher’s life is when they are able to make a difference in their lives. I have learnt to motivate the learners from my father and am always determined to prepare for a better future. This is one of my best experiences that I will never forget in my life. Various students are often impacted by many psychological factors that affect them academically. As the teaching-learning process is a continuous process, I should continue to explore the problems of my students and the ways to help them overcome their difficulties which keeps them to achieve their best performance in academic achievement.
To conclude, I experienced myself as a motivator besides an English language teacher in my teaching career by understanding the psychological problems of my students which were invisible to me that caused deterioration in academic performance. My father’s experiences assisted me to play the role of an effective motivator. To elevate the academic performance of my students, I played the role of a motivator. To motivate my students, I analyzed the problems of my students, heard their past stories, communicated with the parents and teachers and created a favourable learning space for the students. I strongly suggest all the parents and teachers make a healthy environment for them to share their problems, hear their past stories, and always encourage and inspire them to do better in their academics. As a teacher, let’s give students something more to think about at home than just burdening them with homework.
About the Author: Sangeeta Basnet is an English Language Teacher. She has been teaching English for more than 10 years. Currently. She is serving in one of the renowned private schools in Birtamode. She holds a Master’s degree from Manipur University, India. She is a life member of NELTA and STFT. Her professional interests include teaching strategies used in ELT classes.
The article entitled ‘English Teachers’ Experiences on Learner-Centered Teaching Pedagogy’ attempts to explore the narratives of English language teachers on learner-centred teaching pedagogy. The information for this study was gathered through interviews with three English teachers teaching at the secondary level in a public school. The findings revealed that English language teachers have shifted their teaching pedagogy from the grammar-translation method to task-based language teaching pedagogy and teachers have effectively focused on the child-centered method with the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) tools.
I remember the days when I was a student at the secondary level. My English teacher used to teach us to translate the text from English to Nepali and used to make us memorize the text as they were. I, along with my colleagues, used to have a hard time memorizing the text and, in some contexts, we had a hard time understating the texts even though they were translated into Nepali and mother tongue. Despite the hardships in learning and understanding the text, with the same practice, I overcame the iron gate, School Leaving Certificate (SLC) with good marks. I was expecting a shift in the teaching methodology in higher education. However, my expectations were ruined as the tradition of translation was reiterated there as well. It seemed that English was never understood without translation. English was never taught in English and the same traditional method was introduced, practised, and internalized. Later as a teacher, I applied the same method for a long. I made the students memorize the text, translate it into the mother language, and so on. Due to that reason, I still feel reluctant and anxious while speaking with others in the English language. In the very beginning of teaching language, the grammar-translation method was applied rigorously but was criticized due to its limitations (Richards & Rodgers, 2010).
But, from the very day of the beginning of my classes at M.Phil., I realized the differences in the teaching-learning environment. I found out how learning is to be transferred and how teaching is to be placed. I witnessed a drastically different role from the Professors. Every time readiness of the Professor, the use of ICT in the classroom, the use of different teaching and learning materials, and the appropriate teaching approach and methods such as Communicative Language Teaching, Cooperative Language Learning, and Task-Based Language Teaching approach fascinated me to engage more in the classroom practices and transfer the skills to my classes. Henceforth, in this scenario, I feel that this is a pertinent issue to explore how do English teachers narrate their teaching approach now and then? I decided to carry out a mini-research by incorporating the narration of teachers on how language teaching pedagogy has changed from the past to the present.
In the context of the changing pedagogy, the roles of the teachers also change. English language teachers need to play various roles to dig out students’ hidden knowledge and the overall development of the students. They are supposed to play the role of facilitator, mentor, role model, information provider, resource developer, planner, assessor, etc. (Sapkota, 2017). The teachers’ roles depend on teaching pedagogy, which plays a crucial role to impact on the learning outcomes of students.
Methodology
Teachers’ stories themselves can be better resources for language teaching pedagogy. Verifying this, Richards (2002) advocates that teachers’ pedagogical knowledge can be enhanced through teachers’ stories themselves. Similarly, Anam et al. (2020) claimed that teachers are different in their actions, reactions, strategies, and decisions because they have different values, beliefs, cultures, and experiences. Therefore, they are stores of knowledge and skill. With this fact, I carried out this research and tried to dig out their stories.
This research is a small-scale study of the English teacher’s experiences with learner-centred teaching pedagogy. This is qualitative research, comprising the narrative inquiry method. Qualitative research is to get a subjective response from participants; hence, semi-structured open-ended questions were employed for the interview. Purposively, I selected three English teachers of secondary level from a public school in Pokhara, who have more than 10 years of teaching experience. Then, I took consent from each participant before conducting the research. Finally, I explored the stories of the teachers and developed themes based on their narratives.
Data Analysis
I took interviews and recorded the participants’ voices on the device. The teachers namely, Mr. Light, Mrs. Ray, and Mr. Shree (pseudo names) participated in the interview. Finally, based on the information collected from the teachers, I drew themes and findings of the study.
Findings
This section presents the discussion and results of the study under three broad themes.
Teaching Learning Pedagogy
The participants had a great memory of the grammar-translation method in their student’s life. The grammar translation method is based on learning grammar rules and vocabulary. Grammar is taught with explanation in the native language and is only later applied in the production of sentences through translation from one language to another (Rahman, 2012). In response to the question, how did you learn English, and which method did your English teacher apply in your class? Mr Shree shared,
The teacher used to teach us English, translate text from English to Nepali, and write rules and structure of grammar on the blackboard, like; s+v+obj… um, and we students would rote the rule of tenses, articles, prepositions etc., and apply it for making a sentence.
As a learning experience, Mr. Shree learned English through the GT method and grammar was the major factor in learning English. However, the participants indicated the change that they have been experiencing regarding teaching-learning pedagogy.
The participants mentioned various innovative ideas including task-based language teaching Task-based language teaching is an approach to language teaching that provides opportunities for students to engage in the authentic use of the target language through tasks. As the principal component in Task-based Language Teaching (TBLT), the task provides the main context and focus for learning, and it encourages language use similar to the way language is used outside of the classroom (Kim & Douglas, 2014). Mr. Light curiously revealed his experience,
I am using student centre activities which are very important for students because they get involved and try to give their ideas. Most often the time, I like engaging them in project work, puzzles, and information collection on related topics. They enjoy a lot with their work. Umm, I still remember that one day, I gave them writing a biography of a renowned person in the world, in that case, they searched name list of popular singers, dancers, poets, and players and wrote about them interestingly. They made me surprised because I had never heard about renowned people from different backgrounds.
As an expression, Mr. Light keeps students at the centre of learning and plays the role of advisor, mentor, and facilitator of students’ tasks. The finding re-verifies the research finding by Bhandari (2020) and also highlights that today’s teacher role has tremendously undergone various changes.
Role of ICT in Language Teaching Pedagogy
The use of contemporary technology in teaching languages has been intensely growing over the past decades worldwide (Warner 2004 as in cited Khatiwada, 2018). It has brought significant change in the teaching and learning styles of teachers and students. Every sector of our life is influenced by ICT. In the same way, English language teaching is also affected by rapid growth in the use of ICT in Nepal. The use of ICT in the classroom has changed the roles of students and teachers. In this scenario, Mr. Light eagerly offered his experience and said,
My students easily can learn the vocabulary from online sources and the exact pronunciation of words. By using Google, they create poems, write essays on different topics, and make project works from different reading materials.
The story of Mr Light revealed that the use of ICT has been found to assist students in assessing digital information efficiently and effectively since it is used by students to discover learning topics. In the same line, Moubtassime (2021) claimed that the use of ICT help them avoid the problem of pronunciation and grammar issue.
Similarly, Mrs. Ray said, “I use YouTube for teaching listening and speaking skills by relating with topic based on the syllabus”.
It means there are various online platforms where students can practice and learn the language. Lee (2000) focuses on the importance of claiming it as a key factor in enhancing the learners’ motivation for language development and linguistic proficiency. In conclusion, it is believed that the internet facilitates teachers to find new ideas, new techniques, and ways of teaching that assist in their teaching profession. Internet is helping them for creating a child-centred classroom. Hence, the use of ICT in the language classroom seemed to be very beneficial to both students and teachers.
Language Proficiency
Learning is the process of acquiring and understanding new knowledge, behaviour, skills, and values but language learning is defined as developing the ability to communicate in a second and foreign language. My participants narrated their experience in response to the question- how do you compare your students’ learning achievement and your own? Mr Light explored his experience of the past, “In our school age, learning was content-based, so we were able to say exact answers according to the expectation of the teacher.” In the same line, Izadinia (2009) asserts that years ago teachers were considered unquestioned authorities who were responsible for delivering knowledge to students, and students, in turn, were doomed to listening (p.7). But, on the other hand, in recent periods, teachers have had different experiences than their own students’ life, so, Mrs Ray shared
Students nowadays are more fast and smart than teachers, sometimes in connection with the internet, they already get information and knowledge before getting formal classes.
From the above-mentioned explanation learning achievement is relatively different when compared to past and present. The curriculum is also designed differently based on communicative skills thus students of the past seemed good at content whereas students of the present have good proficiency in the English language and they have good knowledge of ICT as well. Moreover, they can also use this tool for searching relevant learning materials.
Discussion
The study has traced the major trends in English language pedagogy from the past to the present. The grammar translation method was the dominant teaching approach in the Nepalese context. Teachers utilized only textbooks as the best learning resource. They did not have access to ICT even though it could stimulate learning motivation through collaborative learning and also improve learning efficiency. The use of ICT in language teaching promotes students’ motivation and learning interest in the English language (Ghimire, 2019). Due to this reason and the demand of the situation, teachers have gradually changed their teaching pedagogy and have applied different teaching approaches for the betterment of students. The stories of participants revealed that they have applied a task-based language teaching approach which promotes students’ engagement in the classroom. It has created a comfortable language learning environment and students love to use the English language with their friends and teachers (Bhandari, 2020).
Moreover, ICT is playing a crucial role in English language teaching where the internet is the most available, flexible, practical way and a treasure of vast knowledge, teachers are utilizing it for the purpose of meaningful classrooms and developing good communication skills. Thus, in this changing pedagogy of teaching, teachers are providing a great number of learning activities as mentioned above, and opportunities for students to communicate in the target language. The internet facilitates teachers to find new ideas, new techniques, and ways of teaching that assist in their teaching profession. With this, they can create a child-centred classroom.
Conclusion
The study revealed that the grammar-translation method used in language teaching and learning has been shifted. It has been replaced by the task-based language teaching approach where teachers want their students to use the ICT tools and engage themselves while learning. Student-centered learning is more focused these days where they learn in their self-paced learning environment. Teachers have also been transformed from dictators to facilitators where learning is placed at the center rather than the subject matters.
References
Alfadley, A., Aladani, A., & Alnwaiem, A. (2020). The qualities of effective teachers in elementary government schools from the perspective of EFL elementary teachers. International Journal of English Language Teaching, ECRTD, UK. 1, 49-64.
Bhandari, L.P. (2020). A task-based language teaching approach: A current EFL approach. Australian International Academic Centre.
Ghimire, N. B. (2019). Five facets for effective English language teaching. Journal of NELTA Gandaki.
Izadinia, M. (2009). Critical pedagogy: An introduction. In P. Wachob (Ed.), Power in the classroom: critical pedagogy in the Middle East. Cambridge Scholars Publication, 7-16.
Khatiwada, K. P. (2018). Online engagement for developing writing in English: perception of teachers and learners. Kathmandu University.
Kim, M., & Douglas, S. R. (2014). Task-Based Language Teaching and English for Academic Purposes: An Investigation into Instructor Practice in Canadian Context. TESL, Canada.
Lee, K. W. (2000). Energizing the ESL/EFL Classroom through Internet activities.
Moubtssime, H. H. M. (2021). The use of ICT in learning English: A study of students in Moroccan University. SAR Journal, 4(1), 19-28
Rahman, M. (2012). Grammar translation method: An effective and feasible method in Bangladesh context. Department of English and Humanities. BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Richards, J.C. (2002). Teachers’ narrative inquiry as professional development. Cambridge University Press.
Richards, J. C. & Rodgers, T. S. (2010). Approaches and methods in language teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Sapkota, K. P. (2017). EFL teachers’ readiness in the secondary classroom: A narrative inquiry. Kathmandu University.
About the Author: Ms Tripti Chaudhary is pursuing an M.Phil. in English language education at Kathmandu University. She has been working as a Program Coordinator in an International Non-Government Organization in Finland Nepal. She has been working in different INGOs for a decade to contribute her knowledge and skills in the education field. The areas of my interest include teacher professional development, parental education, and research in different areas.
Growing up in a middle-class family with five siblings, my formative years were shaped by the love and care of my elders, instilling in me a sense of confidence and freedom. Among them, my father emerged as the most influential figure, guiding me with his hard work and selfless values. As I reflect on my educational journey and professional life, I realize how my father’s schooling continues to resonate, impacting my academic pursuits and shaping me into an educator who seeks to inspire and transform the lives of others.
The Enduring Legacy of My Father: Inspiring Values in My Academic Journey
Growing up in a modest family in the Baitadi district, my father’s determination, love for education, and selflessness left an indelible impact on my values, beliefs, and personal growth.
Despite their humble circumstances, my father’s family recognized the transformative power of education, impressing upon him the importance of prioritizing learning for a brighter future. Embracing this wisdom, he excelled academically and obtained top honours in the Kanchanpur district, the western part of Nepal. Working part-time to support his further studies, he completed B.Ed. in mathematics from Tribhuvan University, Nepal, and devoted over 36 years to teaching secondary-level mathematics in rural areas.
My father’s life experiences taught me the value of hard work, honesty, and unwavering determination to achieve my goals. His struggles also instilled in me a sense of gratitude for the opportunities I have today. His most profound lesson, however, was selflessness, his unwavering dedication to his family and society left an indelible impression on my character. As I pursued my academic journey, my father’s influence continued to guide me. Although my circumstances were more privileged, his lessons taught me that diligence and integrity make success possible.
His teachings not only shaped me as a good person but also as an authentic individual. I am determined to pass these invaluable lessons to my future family and students. With his enduring legacy as my compass, I seek to inspire and transform lives, just as my father has done throughout his remarkable journey.
Empowerment Through Education: A Personal Academic Journey
My academic journey commenced at home, where my family played the role of my first teachers, introducing me to alphabet belts and basic numbers. Though I began my formal education in a government school like my siblings, I had the privilege of studying in private (boarding) school (first in my family). This choice garnered public attention and prestige in our village, underscoring the value of education.
During my primary education, I excelled in memorization-based learning, securing top positions in my class. However, the system of rote learning limited my true understanding of the subjects. Shifting to government education posed initial challenges due to larger and more diverse classes, but I adapted over time, benefiting from a more flexible learning environment, albeit lacking student-centred approaches.
Upon completing my SLC, I went to Nainital India for my I.Sc., however I realized that my I.Sc. didn’t align with my interests, and faced language difficulties and homesickness. My family, understanding my predicament gave me the freedom to decide my academic path, leading me back to Mahendranagar, my hometown.
Embracing my interest in English, I pursued I.A. with English as my major subject. My academic journey continued rapidly, culminating in a B.A. with a major in English from Mahendranagar. My pursuit of higher education led me to Kathmandu, where I completed my M.A. in English literature from the central department of English in Kirtipur, achieving a first division. During my master’s studies, I harboured aspirations of becoming a police officer, inspired by the bold heroes of Hindi movies. However, my passion for teaching gradually surfaced, steering me away from the police force.
In this journey, education has played a pivotal role in empowering me intellectually. It provided me with knowledge, skills, and critical thinking abilities, enabling me to navigate various academic pursuits successfully. Furthermore, education has empowered me economically by opening doors to career opportunities and professional growth, allowing me to contribute meaningfully to society.
Education also fosters social empowerment, equipping me with the ability to share knowledge, mentor others, and contribute to the transformation of education in Nepal. Through my role as an educator, I have had the privilege of training teacher educators, presenting research papers at national and international conferences, and integrating innovative teaching strategies with ICT in language classrooms.
As I reflect on my academic journey, I recognize that education has been the key to my empowerment in multiple dimensions. Not only has it enriched my personal and professional life, but it has also instilled a deep sense of responsibility to empower others through the dissemination of knowledge and a commitment to transformative education.
Empowering Teaching Through Innovative Integration of ICT
As I embarked on my teaching journey at Darchula Multiple Campus, Khalanga, Darchula, Nepal in 2009 after completing my M.A. in English Literature from Tribhuvan University, I initially questioned whether teaching would become my true passion and profession. Not having an ELT background, my first experiences in university-level ELT classes left me feeling somewhat apprehensive. However, the positive responses and appreciation from both students and colleagues ignited a newfound enjoyment in teaching, leading me to realize that teaching was indeed my passion.
To improve my teaching skills and enhance my expertise in English Language Education further, I pursued a one-year B.Ed. and M.Ed. from Tribhuvan University. Determined to stay up to date with the latest pedagogy and educational technologies, I delved into integrating ICT into my ELT classrooms. The availability of ICT infrastructure, including computer labs, laptops, projectors, multimedia smart boards, and internet facilities, provided valuable tools to enrich the teaching and learning process.
The integration of ICT, though initially challenging, proved to be a motivating force in my teaching practices. Participating in various training sessions, workshops, webinars, and conferences, and learning from online resources like YouTube videos, I gradually adapted to using ICT more effectively in language classrooms. My colleagues often sought technical support from me when incorporating educational software such as MS Teams and Zoom during the transition to online classes amidst the pandemic.
Witnessing my students’ satisfaction and a keen interest in my classes further fueled my motivation to innovate in teaching by strategically incorporating ICT. A significant incident that highlights this impact occurred on 5th July 2021 when I was allowed to conduct ICT training for my colleagues at Far Western University Darchula Multiple Campus Khalanga Darchula. The training focused on using MS Team for upcoming online classes, and it became evident that many faculty members lacked familiarity with ICT in education. Their enthusiasm to learn and improve their ICT practices was inspiring. Guiding them through the basic functionalities of MS Team, such as creating class schedules, adding students as members, conducting quizzes, and facilitating group discussions, the session proved to be both engaging and fruitful, garnering appreciative comments from the participants and the dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Despite facing challenges within the academic environment and culture, where well-performing teachers are sometimes undervalued or discriminated against based on political affiliations, I have remained steadfast in fulfilling my professional duties honestly and responsibly. The support and belief from my family, friends, and students have been instrumental in sustaining my resilience.
Through the transformative power of education and the innovative integration of ICT, my passion for teaching has flourished, empowering me intellectually and professionally. Beyond my personal growth, I aspire to be an agent of change, promoting the meaningful use of ICT in education and contributing to the advancement of the educational landscape in Nepal.
M.Phil. at Kathmandu University as a Gateway for Transformation
I decided to pursue an MPhil in English language education from Kathmandu University with the unwavering support and encouragement from my family, friends, and students. Their belief in my abilities and the significance of advancing my academic journey propelled me to seek an institution that would catalyze personal growth and transformation. In this esteemed institution, I got amazing mentors, whose mentorship equipped me with both theoretical knowledge and practical competencies, instilling in me the confidence to implement cutting-edge teaching strategies and adapt to the ever-evolving needs of my future students. Through their guidance, I deepened my understanding of English language education and acquired the necessary skills to become a proficient teacher for 21st-century learners. Engaging in teacher professional development activities, I was exposed to innovative teaching methods, educational technologies, and effective pedagogical approaches that are most relevant in today’s dynamic classroom environments.
Furthermore, the vibrant academic environment at Kathmandu University fostered a strong sense of community among fellow students. Collaborative projects, discussions, and academic events enriched my learning experience and provided me with diverse perspectives on educational practices. This supportive network of peers and colleagues further contributed to my personal and professional growth, creating a nurturing environment for exploration and intellectual development.
During my M.Phil. journey at Kathmandu University, I experienced a profound personal transformation and achieved notable professional growth. Embracing innovative teaching strategies, I contributed to the academic field through publications and disseminated knowledge to a broader audience. Additionally, my academic journey extended into teacher education and research, as I provided training and presented research papers at national and international conferences, contributing to the advancement of Nepal’s education system. This transformation has empowered me with the confidence to foster positive change and cultivate a passion for learning among future generations.
Summing up
My academic journey has been a transformative experience, catalyzed by the influence of my father’s dedication to education and selflessness. From the early years of learning at home to my pursuit of higher education at Kathmandu University, I have been intellectually and professionally empowered. By integrating innovative teaching methods and ICT in the language classroom, I have witnessed heightened student engagement and satisfaction. This journey has also enabled me to contribute actively to the field through my publications and knowledge-sharing endeavours with fellow educators. Supported by the unwavering belief of my family, friends, and students, I am determined to leverage the transformative power of education, creating a positive impact on the lives of students, and fostering progress within Nepal’s education landscape as I continue to evolve as an educator and researcher.
About the Author: Dammar Singh Saud is an assistant professor at Far Western University, Nepal. He holds an M.A. in English Literature and an M.Ed. in English Language Education. Currently pursuing an MPhil in English Language Education at Kathmandu University, his research interests include ELT Pedagogy, ICT in ELT, Teacher Professional Development, and Translanguaging.
It gives us immense pleasure to release the second quarterly issue (April-June 2023) of ELT Choutari. The articles in this issue are the product of a recent Four-Week Virtual Workshop on Teachers’ Narrative Writing led by the ELT Choutari team. It aimed at empowering teachers to write reflective narratives (experiences and stories) offering them moments to pause and reflect on what they do, why and whether or not the process is serving the purposes. Choutari think this process of reading, writing and critical thinking empowers teachers professionally. Working closely with mentors, the participants produced some original and thought-provoking reflective narratives based on their rich experiences. This issue acknowledges the power of teachers’ own voices, personal journeys, triumphs, and challenges, ultimately inspiring and igniting change within the educational community. The issue presents you reflective blogs on students’ feedback and teachers’ support, story of teachers teaching in rural schools, integrated curriculum from teachers’ perspectives, and dealing with assignments.
Dasarath Rai, in his narrative highlights the shift in language teaching principles and the importance of addressing learners’ needs. The author shares his personal experiences of collecting students’ feedback to create more rewarding and meaningful learning experiences to them. He emphasizes the need for teachers to innovate and create their own methods based on the context and students’ unique requirements.
Similarly, Jham Bahadur Thapa provides a personal account of teaching English in low-resourced rural communities and navigating through some unique challenges. The author provides insight into the complexities and evolving nature of teaching English in a rural context.
Likewise, Laxmi Shrestha in her critical reflective narrative shares her mixed feelings about teaching integrated curriculum in elementary school highlighting some challenges she faced such as lack of access to the curriculum and resources, limited professional development, assessment procedures. It demonstrates how the top-down approach to curriculum development and dissemination is not working and raises questions about the process and preparation of implementing new curriculum in classrooms. The author also discusses some ways out to address it.
Additionally, Surendra Prasad Ghimire reflects on his experience of teaching large class in college and shares the challenges associated with students’ late assignments submission. The author also shares some way outs he and his students tried out to tackle this issue.
Here is the list of blogs for you to navigate in this issue:
Finally, I would like to thank our editors and reviewers in this issue, Mohan Singh Saud, Nanibabu Ghimire, Ganesh Kumar Bastola, Jeevan Karki, Sagar Poudel and Karuna Nepal for their relentless effort and contribution.
ELT Choutari is a platform for researchers, scholars, educators, and practitioners to share their perspectives, practices, and stories from classrooms and communities. If you enjoy reading the articles, please feel free to share them in and around your circle and drop your comments.
We encourage you to contribute to our next issue (July- September) and send your articles and blogs to 2elt.choutari@gmail.com.
Over the decades, we have witnessed a different shift in the principles and methods of language teaching. The key concern behind such a move is to appease and address the need of the learners and make them achieve the desired linguistic competency. However, the ideologies of language teaching prescribed to us so far have proven to be contextually irrelevant. According to Kumaravadivelu (2003), “classroom-oriented studies carried out in the last two decades show that teachers could not be successful in putting the methods into practice in real classroom situations.” These findings have encouraged teachers to innovate their own practices and generate theories beyond what was prescribed, and grow as independent, autonomous, and reflective practitioners.
Throughout my six-year tenure as an English teacher in a private school in Kathmandu, I have encountered numerous pivotal moments in my classroom that have served as beacons of enlightenment, guiding me toward creating my own teaching methods rather than merely adhering to prescribed principles and methods. I think principles perform perfectly for scientific experiments, however; language teaching and learning necessitate a more adaptable and fluid approach. In this regard, every language teacher becomes a reservoir of principles, possessing a comprehension of learners’ unique needs, context, and intended objectives.
My journey towards transformative teaching commenced with a fundamental shift in perspective, prioritizing the needs of my students. This shift was prompted by the realization that my own educational background had conditioned me to cater solely to the expectations of my teachers, fostering the belief that they were the absolute source of knowledge. As a result, my teaching endeavors were driven by what I knew and what I desired to impart.
Nevertheless, the awakening of my conscience compelled me to recognize the inadequacy of this approach in the capital city, where students are inundated with abundant information and varied sources of knowledge. In this regard, I realized that introspection and self-evaluation are key to cultivating insights and intuition for relearning and unlearning.
Evaluating teacher from students’ bench
Knowing students’ attitudes, beliefs, and interest is quite rewarding for a teacher. Therefore, I decided to collect students’ feedback. The rationale behind gathering their feedback was: to critically evaluate my teaching methods from students’ vantage points, make learning more engaging and students centered, and find out the flaws which unconsciously go unnoticed in the classroom.
To achieve my objectives, I told students to write their feedback on the paper. I urged them not to show their write-ups to their friends. It is because I wanted to dig out personal opinions from them.
I collected students’ opinions from three sections. I took their feedback home and read it thoroughly. I divided the feedback into two groups. Positive feedback is one pile, and constructive feedback is another. I read all the constructive feedback twice and analyzed whether they had been true to their words or not, whether they had any personal influence and any prejudice or not. Then I picked up some of the common feedback, which really required my attention. One common feedback was that “You give us some contextual knowledge but extend it to dull and boring lectures.” This is what the teacher-centered approach is, where the teacher keeps on talking, and students become just passive listeners.
No matter whether students perceive it or not. As a result, students feel bored, unenviable, and exhausted. They don’t get time to exchange their personal thoughts, feeling, and ideas with teachers and their friends. At the same time, the teacher also becomes exhausted by screaming throughout the day and trudging home disconsolately due to students’ reaction of disappointment in his or her class. It indicated that high school students want specific information from the teacher instead of rattling off all the information he or she knows. It is particularly due to their age, level, and experiences in the real world. The next feedback read, “We feel your focus on only some students. So focus equally on all the students and promote students’ participation in class” I understood that it was the voice of those students who did not get the opportunity to participate in different activities in the classroom despite their talents. As a result, they felt socially distanced and emotionally detached in my class. At the same time, it was the question of equity in learning. In this regard, Ling, Nasri, & N. M. (2019) define “equity means that students should have equal opportunities to achieve their optimal abilities without being restricted by their community background or dispositional characteristics.” In my case, equity denoted scaffolding to especially those learners who have poor linguistic performances and cannot learn at the pace of other students in my subject. The aforementioned feedback enlightened me that treating all students equally regarding content delivery and teaching language skills is unjustifiable in a heterogeneous classroom setting.
Response to students’ feedback
The students’ feedback revealed that they wanted to activate themselves mentally and physically in the classroom. They wanted to listen less and engage more in activities that could be productive, meaningful, and interesting. I pondered the best strategies and materials that could equally engage the students in learning. While doing so, I discovered that our teaching and learning activities are limited when we fully depend on textbooks. Therefore, I did not fully rely on the textbook but prepared different materials and worksheets for teaching all four language skills. For reading activities, I created worksheets that were intellectually challenging. Students had to fully comprehend the text to do the activities to develop intensive reading skills, and the activities given in the prescribed textbook were below students’ level.
Regarding speaking activities, I used-cut outs consisting of clear guidelines for speaking. I designed the materials in such a way that students had to brainstorm for two to three minutes on the topic before they spoke. The guidelines helped them to maintain coherence in speaking. This activity helped me in two ways: one exciting part was I could maximize students speaking, and another was I could engage them in a meaningful talk. I assume that speaking should not only be commotion for students, but it should be meaningful where they can share their thoughts and ideas. In the same way, I used IELTS listening text in my class, and the outcome was so exciting.
The students’ feedback helped me modify my teaching method, which was particularly practicable and fit for my context. I could equally engage the learners in learning. In another way, the students were at the center, not me.
Teaching, a collective effort
Our faculty often used to have discussions on different ideas about teaching and learning activities and professional development. Therefore, the English faculty in our school adopted some techniques. Firstly, the school allocated one weak period for faculty meetings, which were regularly held. The meeting served as a platform for teachers to engage in narrative sessions, sharing their classroom practices, techniques, methods, outcomes, and the challenges they encountered during their teaching experiences. During the meeting, we did not only share the stories but also offered suggestions to the problems. For instance, experienced teachers shared their materials, discussed lesson planning, and suggested novice teachers use positive verbal reinforcement to the unruly students in and out of the class to make them responsible in their work. By implementing this methodology, we established a supportive community of educators, as advocated by Richards and Farrell (2005), wherein mutual classroom observations and constructive feedback facilitated a teachers’ support group. In addition, we engaged in a classroom observation process where we attended our colleagues’ classes to observe their teaching methods and reciprocally invited them to our classes for feedback. We diligently recorded these valuable insights in a personal diary, allowing us to enhance our teaching skills and refine our strategies. This instructional approach aligns with the peer observation framework proposed by Richards and Farrell (2005). Through reciprocal classroom visits, we observed our colleagues’ instructional practices and invited them to observe our own. We systematically documented the feedback in a personal diary to facilitate continuous improvement. After observing one of my classes, my senior faculty head, with extensive teaching experience, provided written feedback, insights, and recommendations, which read as follows.
You have incorporated materials that went beyond the usual textbook. This approach kept the students alert and engaged. The activity was a reading-based exercise, where students delved into thought-provoking texts and answered questions that required higher levels of cognition. The challenging nature of these questions fully engrossed the students, fostering a deep understanding and critical thinking. Besides, consider the pronunciation of ‘bicycle’ and get students to paste the material in their copy after they finish activities.
Rethinking evaluation system
Despite the tireless efforts exerted by teachers and students throughout the year, the final outcomes of students have consistently sparked discourse and deliberation among students, educators, and academicians. However, the concerns related to the evaluation system often go unnoticed within our educational setting. While our education system emphasizes the importance of critical thinking and creativity, the evaluation system relies on grades, often viewed as irrational and lacking justification from students’ perspectives.
Last year, two students had not made the required grade in two subjects to qualify for the next level. The outcomes left them feeling disheartened and humiliated, leading me to ponder, does this three-hour evaluation system truly assess students’ capabilities? Does it compensate for students’ time and efforts? Probably, the answer is ‘no’. Those two students, who served as representatives from my class, are just a glimpse of the thousands of students across the country whose self-worth and sense of pride have been severely undermined by the impact of this evaluation system.
Hence, it is imperative for educationists and academicians to engage in a comprehensive evaluation of the existing assessment system, ensuring that it possesses the necessary flexibility to effectively measure students’ abilities while being practical and contextually relevant.
Souvenir at farewell
Teaching is my passion. I feel I am born for it. I know nothing can be more rewarding for teachers than the complements and their students’ achievement. Last year, some students came to me with colourful paper folded artistically. They handed it to me with excitement. My inquisitive hand unfolded the papers. As the papers unraveled before my eyes, a symphony of emotion swirled within my being. The profundity of their gratitude echoed through the chambers of my heart. Their words, like sacred verses, embraced my weary spirit.
To,
Mr. Rai,
In the beginning, your classes were boring to be honest, but as time passed by, we got to know your English class was one of the most exciting classes. You have been a really great teacher. Your teaching style is wonderful. Your experience is learnable. It has been two years of your wonderful teaching that we cherish. Your handwriting has been a favorite part. If you will not be in our section next year. You will always be remembered.
Reference
Aloni, N. (2007). Enhancing Humanity. Dordrecht: Springer.
Kumaravadivelu, B. (2003). Beyond methods: Macrostrategies for language teaching. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Ling, T., & Nasri, N. M. (2019). A systematic review: Issues on equity in education. Creative Education, 10(12), 3163.
Richards, J. C., & Farrell, T. S. C. (2005). Professional Development for Language Teachers: strategies for teacher learning. New York: Cambridge University Press.
About the Author: Dasarath Rai teaches English at Ideal Model School, Dhobighat, Lalitpur. He has accomplished Master’s Degree in English Education from Mahendra Ratna, Campus, Tahachal, Kathmandu. He is interested in teacher professional development, multiculturalism, cultural identity, and materials development in language education.
A good teacher is one of the prominent figures in society. It is believed that whatever the teacher teaches is correct and true. So, the teacher is a role model in a society whose character can be imitated by numerous people. Therefore, a teacher should always have a positive attitude and have a person of spotless character. Similarly, talking about teaching is a dynamic profession where the teacher should be very energetic and adopt new teaching strategies as per the need of the situation, demands, and level of the students. Teaching English and being an English teacher is a challenging job in this ICT era. It is one of the most complex, and sensitive tasks in the ELT context of Nepal.
Here, I have narrated my own real story of teaching experiences as an English teacher in a rural area of Nepal, including what and how I have faced the ups and downs during my ELT periods. Our society is heterogeneous. I am from the Magar community of Tanahun district where our Magar communities want their children to be in the army. Similarly, my family also wanted me to join the army. More amazingly, one of the incidents directed me to become an English teacher where I stand today.
Self-observation and reflection
After completing my Intermediate Education Level with a major in English, I initiated my teaching career being an English teacher at one of the community schools in Tanahun district in 2072 (2015). I was appointed as a private teacher and paid 2500 RS. in a month. During the winter vacation, I came home from Prithivi Narayan Campus as usual other students did. Once early in the morning, around 5:30 a.m., the head teacher who taught me in primary school came to me. I was shocked to see him at my house so early. We talked for a long time, and even after a long conversation; I couldn’t guess why he was there. Eventually, being more honey talks, he requested me to teach English in that school that has been running basic level 6- 8 grades. I was in a dilemma with my teacher’s proposal whether to teach in that school or not, as I had to continue my higher education on one side, and on another side, my parents couldn’t afford my higher education without doing any job. Finally, he suggested me to continue my further study, both teaching, and self-studying. After the selection process, I was appointed to be a lower secondary English teacher, from where I completed my primary education. I felt very nervous at my first teaching. So, I uttered the words with stammering. Now I recall how many times I stammered, ‘Don’t make noise’ It might be more than 30 times in a period. How poor my first class was. By reflecting, I think teaching years are not valued until we provide positive transformation to the students.
Being a novice teacher, I used to depend on textbooks. There was Ajanta’s dictionary in school which I frequently used to consult. It made the ELT classes more comfortable for me. I had to teach all the periods except the tiffin time. In the remote part of our school, there were only blackboards and chalk in the name of teaching materials. I rarely used instructional materials like; cardboard, cutter pictures, word card, and other local materials. I used to follow the Grammar Translation method to teach English. Later on, I employed the communicative language teaching method where the students could get ample opportunities to engage in pair work, group work, role play, simulation, and some project-based works, etc communicating in English. After that, I could teach language skills using cassettes and pictures, focusing on the students’ needs and interests as well. I was satisfied with my teaching as my students had improved their English slowly and gradually. I received very positive responses from my parents. I wish I could improve the existing ELT situations in favor of students’ dynamic learning process. Regarding that situation, I myself reflected on how I had studied English at the secondary and campus levels.
By demand of time, several approaches or methods came and collapsed and now are existed in ELT. Similarly, I have got a chance to improve my teaching assumptions and philosophies. I have participated in different ELT trainings. Especially, I’ve learned the modern post-method approach, including with critical thinking approach that highly affects the ELT field. I have learned how to deal with multi-lingual and inclusive classes. The training in which I participated made me conduct the class in a child-friendly environment. In the present day, I intelligently tackle the issues/challenges in my teaching profession. Obviously, numerous pieces of training and having a master’s degree reformed me to design, construct and apply teaching materials and lesson plans and provide feedback to needy students. When I myself started being up to date, renewing, and reflecting on the present ELT approaches, methods, and techniques my performance is being improved with students’ results in English subjects.
The successful teaching class
It was a day in the month of Magh 2075 (2019), as usual, after the assembly time, I went to class ten. Afterward, I had a well-prepared class and commenced the lesson by telling a moral story. I provided the time to guess what the topic was on that day. Then, students could easily guess the topic of the day that they were going to have. At first, I divided students into nine groups having five students in each group. After that, I instructed them clearly what they were supposed to do with the cardboard paper. Then, I distributed the cardboard paper and a sign pen writing the phrase ‘Once upon a time…. It was given to the first group to write some relevant sentences about the moral story. Then, respectively that paper was relayed to each group by adding some new sentences to develop a story. Finally, the last group was given the task of writing the title and moral of the story. Providing clear instructions, each group developed the related sentences for the productive stage of story writing. During that period, I facilitated going around the groups. I provided necessary feedback to each group’s members. I observed each group’s members actively involved in the given tasks. Actually, it was the most learnable and effective class I have ever had. From that day, what I reflected is that every ELT teacher has to teach with a good lesson plan and employ the appropriate learning strategies, activities, and techniques to obtain the learning competencies.
Issues of teaching English in rural schools
I have faced many issues and challenges during my ELT teaching in rural Nepal. First, the issue is in ELT is the English medium of instruction (EMI) in the rural area of our school. EMI creates a kind of obstruction in teaching English and other subjects in my classes. Many teachers couldn’t teach the English language. So, it created a great puzzle for the students cum other teachers. Similarly, there is a great issue of policy making and implementation in the context of ELT in Nepal. Another challenge is teacher training implementations in the classroom. The main challenges of training teachers to teach English effectively remain in place.
Though English teaching in Nepal is not a politics of knowledge, it is a useful subject for bureaucracy and profit-making incentives. The issues of ICT, internet, and computer usage in ELT and outdated teachers are prominent issues in Nepal. Therefore, the changing position or roles of teachers should be focused on digital competence in this era of globalization and technology. In this way, the issues of the mother tongue-based, and multi-lingual approaches need to be addressed properly in the ELT context of Nepal. The economic, cultural, educational, social, and family issues of the students are the prominent issues in the ELT in Nepal. The teaching methods are the issues that I faced in teaching English. Lack of internet access in the remote part of Nepal is another challenge for English language teaching in Nepal. In my remote part, there are no rich resource materials, textbooks, curriculum, and teaching materials, which makes it difficult in teaching. We do not normally see students when they engage in writing in the classroom where students might need some help from teachers. Some of us do not appreciate students’ efforts and steps towards putting what they want to show through small compositions as creative starters. Furthermore, the issues related to ELT teaching in Nepal are the lack of proper supervision, monitoring, and teacher support. I think the issues should be addressed scientifically.
Objectives of teaching English in Nepal
In my experience, the objectives, goals, and paradigms are always shifting and changing due to the demands of the times. Despite this, the goals of ELT have been changed from focusing solely on developing language skills to fostering a sense of social responsibility in students. Now the objective of teaching English is shifted into communicating, collaborating, and exchanging ideas effectively with others who speak the English language. The students should be enabled to use all four language skills creatively, critically, fluently, and accurately to solve real-life problems. Furthermore, the ELT teachers make the students respect each other’s cultures and religious festivals.
Road ahead in Nepal
I have been teaching and learning English for more than 17 years. What my experiences taught me is that the ELT system of teaching in Nepal is slowly promoting and expanding its different aspects. The curriculum based on the communicative approach is gradually shifting into interdisciplinary, multi-disciplinary, and Transdisciplinary approaches. Therefore, the objectives of teaching ELT in Nepal should address every challenge or issue related to the students, ELT teachers, and curriculum in the present world. It is the era of rapid development of ICT and the Internet. For this, ELT teachers should have sound knowledge and communication skill of digital competence. The traditional perspectives of teaching English in Nepal have been changing the rigid feeling of native speakers, and monolinguals’ gradually faced objections. Non-native English teachers promoted multilingual practices in their classes. I think the government or the concerned bodies should focus on promoting multilingualism awareness. A new kind of training structure, policy, and implementation should be emphasized. The salary, payment, and other terms of facilities need to be addressed. Education policy should be reformed. Different kinds of ELT conferences, workshops, training, counseling, etc., are required. The concept of ELT globalization must be interrelated to each ELT teacher in Nepal. The education system, including examination systems, must change into a scientific system of examination that exists meaningfully in the present world. Students should be encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning. There can be the training of teachers as well as student motivation. Similarly, ELT teaching in Nepal aims to achieve sustainable development. ELT teachers should improve the learning achievement of all students. In my opinion, what students learn in the classroom results from what a teacher makes students do in the classroom. Thus, the above-mentioned clues should be emphasized to improve the ELT in Nepal.
Conclusion
Being an English teacher in the Nepalese context, what I experienced is that the role of the teacher should function as a resource person to inspirer. Similarly, he/she should have a sound knowledge of current ELT pedagogy. The teachers should have self-reflective practice. The teachers need to make our students clear on how English has been used and how we should use it in the era of globalization. ELT teachers need to be action researchers in their teaching profession. The chief responsibility of an ELT teacher is to create a suitable and conducive learning environment where the children perform their tasks easily and freely; construct knowledge, and show their creativity. Thus, an ELT teacher should have all kinds of practical skills and knowledge and extend helping hands to the students to solve problems via cooperation, collaboration, and creating an effective learning environment. So, my teaching reflections guided me to be an inspirer updated ELT teacher for the betterment of my own professional development for the successful career of the students.
About the Author: Mr. Jham Bahadur Thapa is an M.Phil Scholar in English Language Education at the Graduate School of Education TU, Kritipur, Nepal. He has been teaching from basic to higher levels at different schools and colleges for a decade. His area of interest is Multilingualism, Narrative Inquiry Research, and Teacher Professional Development.
