scholarly journals Teaching writing through task-based instruction: Exploring English teachers’ experiences

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 177-186
Author(s):  
Laxman Prasad Bhandari
Keyword(s):  
English Teachers ◽  
Teaching Writing ◽  
Ministry Of Education ◽  
English Curriculum ◽  
Learner Centered ◽  
Teachers Experiences ◽  
Prescribed Curriculum ◽  
Based Instruction ◽  
Task Based Instruction ◽  
Task Types

As educationists and policymakers have been concerned much in increasing the English proficiency of their citizens, educational policies on curriculums and syllabuses have moved increasingly towards various versions of learner-centered teaching approaches including task-based language teaching. TBLT is one of the widely discussed learner-centered approaches for the last few decades. It aims at developing students’ communicative skills through their active engagement in various tasks focusing more on meaning than on form. The study aims to explore English teachers’ experiences in teaching writing with respect to the intent of the secondary level English curriculum prescribed by the Curriculum Development Center, Ministry of Education, Nepal. The study is qualitative where five teacher participants were interviewed. The data were analyzed based on the taxonomy of task types by Willis and Wills (2007). The findings showed that the teacher participants are theoretically aware of TBLT, especially in teaching writing, and the intent of the prescribed curriculum; however, they are not able to fully bring their knowledge and skills into practice to meet the objective of the curriculum. Thus, the study purposes a way forward to strengthen teachers’ ability to bring TBLT theory into practice through training, workshops, research, and higher studies.

scholarly journals Implementing Task-Based Instruction to Facilitate Language Learning: Moving Away from Theory

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 49
Author(s):  
Aileen Griffiths
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
English Teachers ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Learner Centered ◽  
Based Instruction ◽  
Task Based Instruction

The use of tasks has gained growing acceptance in the field of language teaching. In the task-based teaching, the organization of the language lassroom is learner-centered and the learning activities involve communicative language use. This paper discusses task-based teaching by presenting a brief overview of its underlying rationales. The rationales for infcoporating taskbased activities are dirived from the psycholinguistic and pedagogical perpectives. Some practical in-sights in this paper might be useful for English teachers and language experts.

scholarly journals The Perceptions of Saudi English Teachers about their Contribution to the Development of English Curriculum in Saudi Arabia

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. p42
Author(s):  
Lujain Jaza AlSehli
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
English Teachers ◽  
Likert Scale ◽  
Collaborative Effort ◽  
Willingness To Participate ◽  
Ministry Of Education ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
English Curriculum ◽  
Teachers Perceptions

The current research investigated the perceptions of Saudi English teachers about their contribution to the development of English curriculum with the Ministry of Education (MOE). Also, this research sought to know the role of Saudi English teachers in developing English curriculum in Saudi Arabia. To obtain teachers’ perceptions, an online questionnaire was designed via google forms with open and close-ended questions along with a Likert scale section. It was shared with the Saudi Faculty of English account on Twitter. The major cause of conducting this research was to raise the awareness of including Saudi English teachers in developing English curriculum, and to make this process as a collaborative effort among various stakeholders and English teachers. The findings indicated the absent role of Saudi teachers and the lack of their involvement in developing English curriculum in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, the results showed their willingness to participate and be part of this process.

Improving Grade VII Students’ Achievement in Procedure Text Through Still Pictures

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Berta Ito Lubis And Tina Mariany Arifin
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Data ◽  
English Teachers ◽  
Alternative Media ◽  
Teaching Writing ◽  
Writing Achievement ◽  
Total Percentage ◽  
Procedure Text ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Writing Tests ◽  
Orientation Test

This study was conducted as an attempt to improve students’ writing achievement in aprocedure text by using Still Pictures. The method of the study was Classroom ActionResearch with two cycles and six meetings. The subject of the study was the students ofGrade VII students’ MTs. S. Syahbuddin Mustafa Nauli. The research was conducted intwo cycles and each cycle consists of three meetings. The instruments for collectingdata were taken from writing tests as quantitative data. The result shows theimprovement of the students’ score from orientation test to Cycles I and II tests. Themean of the students’ score for orientation test as Test I was 50.41, Cycle I test was66.25, and Cycle II test was 85.41. The total percentage of the improvement fromOrientation test to Cycles I and II tests was 99.2 %. It can be concluded that the use ofStill Pictures improves students’ achievement in writing a procedure text. Thequalitative data taken from Observation Sheet and Diary Notes show that the students’were enthusiastic and attracted in writing a procedure text because the Still Picturesencourage their creativities and ideas to write better. For English teachers, it issuggested to use Still Pictures as one alternative media of teaching writing a proceduretext.

Can-Do descriptors – Realigning English Language Curriculum at Higher Education Institution to CEFR

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 84
Author(s):  
Erda Wati Bakar
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Ministry Of Education ◽  
Language Curriculum ◽  
English Curriculum ◽  
The Common ◽  
The University

The Common European Framework of Reference for Language (CEFR) has become the standard used to describe and evaluate students’ command of a second or foreign language. It is an internationally acknowledged standard language proficiency framework which many countries have adopted such as China, Thailand, Japan and Taiwan. Malaysia Ministry of Education is aware and realise the need for the current English language curriculum to be validated as to reach the international standard as prescribed by the CEFR. The implementation of CEFR has begun at primary and secondary level since 2017 and now higher education institutions are urged to align their English Language Curriculum to CEFR as part of preparation in receiving students who have been taught using CEFR-aligned curriculum at schools by year 2022. This critical reflection article elucidates the meticulous processes that we have embarked on in re-aligning our English Language Curriculum to the standard and requirements of CEFR. The paper concludes with a remark that the alignment of the English curriculum at the university needs full support from the management in ensuring that all the stakeholders are fully prepared, informed and familiar with the framework.

scholarly journals Artefacts, practices and pedagogies: teaching writing in English in the NAPLAN era

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Gannon ◽  
Jennifer Dove
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Schools ◽  
English Teachers ◽  
Teaching Writing ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Deep Dive ◽  
Geographically Dispersed ◽  
English Classes ◽  
Novel Method ◽  
Teaching Of Writing

AbstractIn secondary schools, English teachers are often made responsible for writing results in national testing. Yet there have been few studies that focussed on this key group, or on how pedagogical practices have been impacted in the teaching of writing in their classrooms. This study investigated practices of English teachers in four secondary schools across different states, systems and regions. It developed a novel method of case study at a distance that required no classroom presence or school visits for the researchers and allowed a multi-sited and geographically dispersed design. Teachers were invited to select classroom artefacts pertaining to the teaching of writing in their English classes, compile individualised e-portfolios and reflect on these items in writing and in digitally conducted interviews, as well as elaborating on their broader philosophies and feelings about the teaching of writing. Despite and sometimes because of NAPLAN, these teachers held strong views on explicit teaching of elements of writing, but approached these in different ways. The artefacts that they created animated their teaching practices, connected them to their students and their subject, suggested both the pressure of externally driven homogenising approaches to writing and the creative individualised responses of skilled teachers within their unique contexts. In addition to providing granular detail about pedagogical practices in the teaching of writing in the NAPLAN era, the contribution of this paper lies in its methodological adaptation of case study at a distance through teacher-curated artefact portfolios that enabled a deep dive into individual teachers’ practices.

Five Portraits of Teachers’ Experiences Teaching Writing: Negotiating Knowledge, Student Need, and Policy

2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-60
Author(s):  
Juliet Michelsen Wahleithner
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Writing Instruction ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
English Teachers ◽  
Teaching Writing ◽  
School Students ◽  
High School English ◽  
High Stakes

Background Numerous reports have highlighted problems with writing instruction in American schools, yet few examine the interplay of teachers’ preparation to teach writing, the instructional policies they must navigate, and the writing development of the students in their classrooms. Purpose This study examines high school English teachers’ instruction of writing while taking into account their preparation for teaching writing—both preservice and inservice, the instructional policies in place, and the learners in their classrooms. Setting Data used come from public high school English teachers teaching in Northern California. These data were collected in 2011–2012, when teachers were sill complying with the mandates of the No Child Left Behind legislation. Research Design I use year-long qualitative case studies of five high school English teachers to highlight various ways teachers used their knowledge of writing instruction to negotiate the pressures of accountability policies and their students’ needs as writers to teach writing. Data collected include beginning- and end-of-year interviews with each teacher, four sets of 1- to 2-day observations of each teacher's instruction of writing, and instructional documents related to each teacher's writing instruction. These data were analyzed using the constant comparative method to look for themes within the data collected from each teacher and then make comparisons across teachers. Findings from the case studies are supported by findings from a survey of 171 high school teachers who taught a representative sample of California high school students at 21 schools in 20 districts. The survey included 41 multiple-choice items that asked about teachers’ instructional practices and their perceptions of high-stakes accountability pressures and their students as writers. Survey data were analyzed quantitatively using descriptive statistics and principal components analysis. Findings Findings illustrate that significant differences existed in how the five teachers approached their writing instruction. These differences were due to both the teachers’ varied preparations to teach writing and the contextual factors in place where each taught. Those teachers with more developed knowledge of writing instruction were better able to navigate the policies in place at their sites and more equipped to plan appropriate instruction to develop their students as writers. Recommendations Findings indicate teachers would be better served by opportunities to develop their knowledge of writing instruction both prior to and once they begin their teaching careers. Additionally, the findings add to an existing body of research that demonstrates the limiting effect high-stakes assessments can have on teachers’ instruction of writing.

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