Empowering ESL Teachers

Modern  technology  play a definite role in  empowering  English  Language  teachers,  by  giving  them  opportunity to interact with other teachers, get exposed to the latest practices, and speak the language of their students.

Technology  changed  the  vision  of  English  Language. Egypt  being, an  under-developed  country  has  been  facing  a  lot  of  challenges  along  with  this  serious  issue  that  English is still in its babbling stage and is being taught  with  the  same  traditional ways which lead  English  Language  students  to  roll  in  utmost  abyss  of ignorance, backwardness and unemployment.

Technology  empowers  all, having formal education, and also to those that don’t.  It creates equal opportunities to all; either it is poor or rich, male or female. 

By the use of  different applications of technology, English language  teachers  can  bring  very  positive  changes  in  English  language  teaching both to themselves and their students.    Previously,  English  language  teachers  were  gripped  with  the  fear  of  using  technology  for  their  profession  owing  to  different  threats  either  to  their  ego  or  to  their  jobs.  Moreover,  technology,  they  supposed,  was  a  setback  to  their  authority  over  English  as  it  may  reduce  the  gaps  between  the  trainer  and the  trainee,  teacher  and  student  which  may  shake  their  positions.  

The  fact  is  not so. Technology isn’t any threat to their jobs and  authority.  It  would not  replace  English  Language  teachers,  rather  it  would  facilitate  their job,  empower  them  with  the  latest  gadgets  and  knowledge,  the  gadgets  which  have  made  English  language  teaching  and  learning  easy . 

I train teachers and students on using e-tools. I always assess the training I give.  English  language  teachers,  who  were  the  participants  in these  training,  gained  a  lot  of  confidence,  knowledge  and  satisfaction.  Their  previous  thoughts  and  fears  about  technology  were  changed  and  they  were  further  hopeful  for  better  opportunities  to  empower  themselves  through  technology  for  better  and  prosperous  future  of  English Language in Egypt. Still, some abide to using certain tools rather than others. Teachers fear experimenting and this is a setback. Be courageous and try your hand on different tools.  

Egyptian Teachers Attitude to E-tools

It is right to denounce the attitude of a teacher who considers himself as the custodian of knowledge. Nowadays the idea that the student and the learner can be most knowledgeable if they are trusted is gaining ground. Still, even the most talented students needs the scaffolding efforts of teachers.

What specific Internet tools have you used for developing your students' communicative competence and how are your students using them? What strategies are you incorporating in your instruction so that your students may feel encouraged to make use of authentic language?

 Mainly I try to incorporate Blogger for developing writing skills, Quizlet for enlarging vocabulary and Lakeshore online tools for creating authentic crosswords and puzzles to develop analytical thinking, I think the possibilities to use online tools are just endless. Thus, I prepare new vocabulary and upload everything to Quizlet then the students download the application from Google Play for Android users or from App Store for Iphone users. Everything is easy to use for them on the lesson.

I face the challenge of changing learners' mindset when they come to college after years of training and conditioning in teacher-centered instruction.

Actually, in my country, Egypt there are many teachers who do not want to go for learner-centered approach as it requires a lot of hard work and commitment on their part. They even discourage the ones who have adopted this approach.Since we do not have any guidelines regarding the methods to be adopted in the classrooms, it is possible for teachers like me to use all the different strategies and methods. And the rewards are great - for learners as well as teachers. They also believe that e-tools can not help in enhancing students proficiency. My experience has shown this idea wrong and students are enjoying, improving and learning. 

Question Formulation Technique

Today I will discuss an advance instructional strategy namely  QFT technique, which stands for the question formulation technique. 

So, what is it and why should we use it?

 It is basically a strategy for teaching students how to generate good questions, and generate their own questions that they are interested in around a topic. And I think this is really critical, because I think that if you look at most classes in school or first years in university traditionally, it is the answers that have been encouraged. And the ones that are asking probably the most questions are the teachers. 

To come with a really good question is very difficult. In addition, there is a lot of thought that goes into it. We are surrounded by infinite resources of information. Really, the most important thing is actually the questions as they lead to change and improvement. To query a good search, you have to have a good question. 

Scientists like Einstein, were asking questions at a very early age and they  never stopped questioning. It was questions that drove scientists like him to do what he did. So, I think that questioning is very important. And this is a technique that can be used for any age, any grade level. And it's got some rules, and a procedure for generating the questions. And, really, the teacher's role in it is to guide the process. They come up with a question focus. And then, they go over the rules with the students for generating the questions. And then, the students generate the questions. And then, the teacher helps direct how those questions get used by the students a little later in that curriculum. So, it sounds like a big advantage is teaching students how to formulate their own questions and to think critically about how to do that. 

So, what are the advantages of using QFT? And what are the disadvantages?

Teaching students to ask their own questions make them critical thinkers. And when they do that, when it is a student's actual question versus a question on a test or a question that teachers come up with there is more buy in immediately. It is authentic engagement. They are not just doing it for the grade. There's an authentic interest in there. Also, the learning extend beyond the walls of the classroom as students read and work more on their own. 

The disadvantages are the amount of questions. But teachers  have to be comfortable with students coming up with questions that you would have never imagined and that you do not know the answer to. Actually, you are a co-learner not an expert that might be looked to know everything. Time is another concern. When students generate questions,  it consumes time that might cost you in covering other material.

Tools to make students question are forums, twitter, google forms, and Facebook discussions. If you have other e-tools that can be used to raise discussion please send.

Pear Deck

Pear Deck is an e-tool that changes google slides into interactive one. It is a great product that has a 
real impact on teachers and students.

The single biggest pro here is the humanity. You get the sense that the founders genuinely care that
the decisions we’re making are in the best interests of the students. Other advantages include:

            Freedom to experiment and do quality work

            Great appreciation of user experience and design

            Emphasis on learning

I was introduced to Pear Deck in a training on Critical Thinking. What I liked most is the idea of interaction and gamification and I will use it to make my sessions interesting and interactive.

M Learning

In this post, I will outline some mobile learning apps are and the benefits they offer.

Mobile learning apps are apps that help delivery of information that is convenient and interesting to the tech savvy. They also provide learners with the flexibility to learn anywhere, anytime. Some mobile learning apps work on and offline.  

Wikipedia: students could search the encyclopedia and read on/offline. They do a Google search and eventually search Wikipedia once they enter the website. Once they search a topic they could close the data.

All of the following apps are free. You just need to download them through playstore. You have to open the data/wifi while using them.

Utube:  Your students could open the videos you assign. They then could summarize and comment on these videos. They watch for a reason.

TED TED Conferences  LLC: It includes numerous TED Talks. New talks are added on daily bases.

TEDlang Learn English: This app is designed for ESL learners. It has subtitles.

VOA NEWS: Teachers can lead students to Voice of America website and they can read or listen to news, interviews or stories. They also have special material for learning English https://learningenglish.voanews.com/

VOA Learning English:  

Bussuu: https://www.busuu.com/en/mobile

 BBC Learning English: BBC is an reputable radio and television channel, and the app is really helpful.

BBC Listening English: The app is dedicated to listening and is really helpful. 

Oxford 500 English Conversation: The app is effective and resourceful.

IELTS Listening: Though dedicated to IELTS, still it can help students even if not preparing for IELTS.

IELTS Practice Test: Another free app that can help students improve. 

English Pronunciation: The app really helps students pronunciation. 

Browsing through the playstore, you will find infinite free and for money apps. Choose what you feel is really helpful for your students and supports your curriculum.  

As for me I use mobile in different ways namely the following:

 I make my students download Infotech, English Vocabulary in Use, English Companion B Course, and we do some parts together. Other parts are assigned to be done at home. They are great as they work offline and there no internet access available in my institute.

I make my students go to Wikipedia, we read articles together on  many topics. The one they love best are those on Arabic movies, writers, and celebrities as they feel English can reflect their culture.

We also google many things, words, expressions, proverbs. This make them get the idea that technology can help them improve. 

I also use TED and I assign them to watch videos and comment on them. 

The play store is full of apps that are both free and for money.  Browse the play store, choose the app you feel will help your students and support your curriculum.  Understand the app well as you will be responsible for explaining the app for your students. In addition,  your students will always come back to you for questions. 

Adding an online component to the curriculum.

Virtual programs can offer a more efficient and cost effective means of providing education but sometimes the potential is not achieved when trying to fit funding into a traditional mold. Online learning can provide alternative ways to accomplish academic tasks. Electronic learning environments comprising of materials to be read, videos to watch, activities to do, assignments to complete, discussions to join, tests to take and more can really help students improve especially websites and resources that can be viewed on the mobile phone.

For an online course to be accessible, all of the online learning activities must be accessible. Teachers and students should locate material specific to each student's needs. In addition to making the content and technical components of a website or online course accessible, we must also consider students' access to the technology requirements. While many students have access to technology, some that have technology available do not have high speed processors or high speed internet.

Differentiated instruction has become a popular approach to teaching and learning, that takes in to consideration the diversity of students in, in school today.

Rather than the more typical pattern of teaching the class as though all individuals in it are basically alike. The goal of a differentiated classroom is maximum student growth and individual success. This is accomplished by instructional and management strategies that allow for students to work at different levels and achieve varying levels of mastery. Examples include teaching to multiple intelligences. Individualized questioning strategies, alternative grouping methods, and supplemental materials based on student needs and interests.

All of this is helped via adding an online component to the curriculum.

Reflection on Mentoring

Technology is transforming education. Technology has the potential to teach our students to work collaboratively, think critically, gain skills, and work in groups. Many of our students leave school lacking the abilities to solve problems, work in groups, act as leaders, and think critically. Technology can help us as teachers enhance these skills.

Your professional development session for teachers on using technology needs to get all educators to understand that the process and meaning a student gets from making the utmost with technology. As a trainer focus on process, hands-on learning,  documentation, and reflection. Reflection is detrimental to enhancing the learning process. Follow up is also important as people tend to forget and discard ideas they feel unpractical. So, communicate and let your mentees ask and ask them to hold on new sessions where they become mentors.

This is what I learned in E-teacher Alumni and I am trying to apply.