Casting a new eye, making a difference?

Dear all,

how amazing it is to see little pieces start fitting together – if you are into 'little pieces' forming 'the big picture', like I am. This week I tried to search for ways of adding a sense of relevance to my English classes, as their role in providing an opportunity for them to learn a foreign language is hardly plausible, as they are surrounded by so many different Englishes outside the classroom as well. Of course, it is the classroom where things will be done systematically and therefore yield results, but adding the element of 'meaningfulness' combined with enjoyfulness, intellectual enterprise and a goal applicable to at least other subjects they learn or even a wider community – what else could we ask for as teachers? This week we have seen possible ways in which it can be done, even without assistance of ICT. Yet if we include the technology, then chances of getting more relevant input needed to do tasks and making output accessible are increased. So reaching out to your peers, other classes, even wider community (as some outlines of this week's WebQuests and PBL lessons demonstrated) becomes more possible. To make it work, everyone needs to be aware of the possible benefits it may bring.

Of course, there is a question of how to integrate that into the curriculum. Does your system acknowledge service learning? There is a website I came across a webpage that deals with such projects. Is it compatible with academic goals we set for out students? How do they fit in with the learning outcomes? I was convinced such projects would be reserved for some alternative extracurricular courses for enthusiasts. And guess what, I got a notification about a workshop to be held at one of the faculties in Zagreb (i.e. under the umbrella of the University) which is exactly about this kind of orientation – integrating teaching and learning with products applicable to our student or wider community!

This does not mean doing things 'on the side' of making a commitment to 'serve' and expecting our students to do so. This would be harmful for our professional autonomy as language teachers. The motivation to reach out should by no means arise only from our own ambition or our teaching style (complex as they are, I agree with Manana).

It is our students we have to put first. I believe it all starts by asking yourself 'How is what I am going to do with my students going to benefit my students, the students who will come after them, the students who have specific difficulties learning English, different groups outside this course, students in other areas of education, the general public, similar groups of students elsewhere. As Kazumi reminds us, one of the overarching questions for the teacher is ‘what do I want students to learn through the inquiry I present to them?’.

Focusing on one of the target groups over a period of time is essential, of course. For the time being, I have no idea about how this can be done without severe trade-offs, but I like to believe it is possible and hope it is not (only) a dream that will wear off that easily.


I wish us all a lot of luck with implementing our technology-supported changes next week. If things get tough I will remember Aleyda's tiger image.


Best regards,

Andreja