This week started with the topic of learner
autonomy, a goal we keep trying to achieve every time we plan a lesson, a goal
that is not always achievable if we do not plan for a student-centered class.
An excellent quote I will always keep in mind
is by Robert Godwin-Jones (2011),
who states that “learning autonomy is for the student to develop effective strategies
for pursuing individual learning, while being willing and able to change and
improve those strategies over time, as the language learning progresses (p. 4).
A student-centered lesson should aim at motivating the learner to acquire the
language by making a significant individual effort, while developing strategies
for life-long learning. Reflection plays an important role here, as well as
metacognition.
The one-computer classroom is a reality for
most teachers around the world. In my university we are lucky enough to have at
least one computer, as our government has implemented a program known as “Canaimas”,
whereby each elementary school, secondary school and university student
receives a mini-laptop, free of charge, loaded with software appropriate for
their grade or level. This makes it possible for each student to take advantage
of ICTs to learn the different subjects.
Mobile devices are also increasingly becoming more
and more popular in Venezuela, most young people have smartphones, and as
teachers we must become familiar with the potential uses in the EFL class.
Unfortunately, most EFL teachers do not have a salary high enough to afford
such type of technological devices, thus making us stay a little behind our
student’s knowledge and experience with ICTs.
All in all, a very interesting week, I hope to
continue updating my teaching tools.
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