scholarly journals Cartoons as an Authentic Supplementary Teaching Tool in English as a Second Language Classrooms

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 107
Author(s):  
Sandamali Gamage

The present study seeks to find the students’ performance towards the assigned tasks related to cartoons and their perceptions towards the use of it as an authentic, supplementary teaching tool to facilitate the process of speaking. A sample of thirty-five students was selected to involve in different tasks related to selected number of cartoons. The researcher conducted an empirical investigation by employing quantitative and qualitative research methods. Audio recordings and classroom observations were used to investigate the students’ active involvement towards the assigned tasks related to cartoons and a well-structured questionnaire was employed to evaluate their perceptions towards the use of it as an authentic supplementary tool in teaching the speaking skills of ESL learners. The results of the study revealed that a majority of students actively involved in the assigned task related to cartoons. The students gave a comprehensive and controversial account of the assigned cartoons incorporating the clues given by the facilitator resulting to assure better learner motivation and participation, transforming the teaching and learning experience into an enjoyable, stimulating, and memorable experience. Furthermore, nearly 70% of students demonstrated a positive perception towards the use of cartoons in ESL classrooms as they believed it facilitates their speaking skills making the input more comprehensible and enhancing collaborative learning. Besides, they accepted that cartoons improve students’ personal relationships with fellow students and promote peer learning. Based on the findings, it was concluded that cartoons can be effectively used as an authentic supplementary tool in ESL classrooms to teach speaking skills to Sri Lankan ESL learners.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wan Zumusni Wan Mustapha ◽  
Mohd Nur Fitri Mohd Salim ◽  
Irma Ahmad ◽  
Sheela Paramasivam

Teaching and learning critical reading and creative writing in the second language have gone beyond the four walls of classrooms and language classrooms. Apart from flipped classrooms, where lessons and assignments can be conducted and done during weekends, public holidays and festive breaks, Universiti Teknologi MARA has moved another step in implementing Week without Walls (WWW) where students learn in a less structured way outside the classrooms. Qualitative method namely case study is used to design the research methodology for this study. The focus on the case study is to see how learning is demonstrated through the use of social media. The case study on diploma and degree students from three faculties found that WWW has increased motivation and interest in teaching and learning of second language reading and writing. Other than using the usual teaching videos, notes on the online platform, students are asked to read Reader’s Digest magazines and post a caption of an interesting article or activity they have read on the social media. Using social learning theory, analysis of the students’ narratives on social media postings reveal that given the freedom to demonstrate their learning experience, students can be creative by posting pictures and videos of what they have read on their social media and realize that learning is not just for assessments.


Author(s):  
Nadide Özgüç Akdeniz

AbstractThis paper discusses the use of student-produced videos to improve speaking skills in EFL classrooms, with emphasis on their use in preparatory classes at Kocaeli University, School of Foreign languages. The use of student-produced videos as a learning and teaching tool may greatly enhance the quality of students’ oral skills in many ways. They have the chance of reviewing their own performances, evaluating their speaking skills and becoming more self-critical of their abilities. The perspectives of using the student-created videos for the development of oral skills in language classrooms are presented.


Author(s):  
Hanis Kamarudin ◽  
Nur Ain Abdul Malek ◽  
Siti Ainul Ayzan Ayub ◽  
Izlin Mohamad Ghazali ◽  
Wan Nazihah Wan Mohamed

Reading is an important learning area which ESL learners should master for interaction and academic purposes. However, ESL students are facing many difficulties in English reading skills particularly contextual clues. Hence, this product aims to ease the teaching and learning of inferring word meaning – contextual clues, to enrich the students’ vocabulary bank and to motivate the students to engage in reading. The challenge in teaching contextual clues is that the current technology-integrated teaching method has lost its way to cater students’ interest in reading. This product is believed to allow the students to enjoy meaningful language classes. The emergence and usage of PowToon in today’s classroom has helped to ease the process of teaching reading skills to the students. The features of this product include captivating graphics, lively animation, concise content and attractive background music. This product is user friendly as it is accessible to everyone; online and offline. İn addition, it is suitable to be used in language classes with limited technology support. Thus, this evolution in teaching pedagogy will encourage paperless teaching aids in language classrooms.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 11749
Author(s):  
Sujeewa Hettiarachchi ◽  
BWR Damayanthi ◽  
Shirantha Heenkenda ◽  
DMSLB Dissanayake ◽  
Manjula Ranagalage ◽  
...  

This quantitative study investigated the determinants of students’ satisfaction with their online learning experience at Sri Lankan universities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data was collected from 1376 undergraduates enrolled in various courses in humanities and social sciences at three state-owned universities in the country. The results of the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) revealed that the independent variables of the model, namely perceived learner motivation, perceived challenges of e-learning, and interaction significantly affected students’ satisfaction with their new online learning experience. Out of the three variables, learner motivation exerted the strongest effect on students’ satisfaction, implying the crucial role self-regulated learning—characterized by motivation—plays in online learning environments. The study has several implications for both creating and ensuring the long-term sustainability of productive and student-friendly online learning spaces in higher education.


2012 ◽  
pp. 452-464
Author(s):  
Normah Ismail ◽  
Masdinah Alauyah Md Yusof

There is agreement among language educators that the process of language teaching and learning should aim to develop autonomous language learners. While the advantages of autonomy seem to be quite obvious, fostering autonomy in practice can prove to be difficult for some language learners. This paper describes the use of learning contracts as a strategy for enhancing learner autonomy among a group of ESL learners in a Malaysian university. Through learners’ account of their experiences with the contracts, the study concludes that the learning contract has potential use for language learning and that learners’ positive learning experience remains the key to the success of any endeavour seeking to promote learner autonomy. The paper ends with some implications for teachers and learners who wish to use the contracts as a strategy for language teaching and learning.


2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-37
Author(s):  
Julie Choi ◽  
Ulrike Najar

Reports on refugee and migrant women in Australia show these women have low literacy in their first language, limited English language abilities, and minimal formal schooling. With major funding cuts to the adult migrant education sector and persistent public ‘deficit views’ of immigrant and refugee’s levels of literacy, approaches to teaching and learning in this sector require flexible views of language that embrace plurilingualism as a valuable resource within and outside of the socially-orientated ESL classroom. In this article, we present and discuss our findings from a study in which we co-taught English to immigrant and refugee women in a housing estate in Melbourne, Australia, and investigated the effects of a plurilingual view on the women’s English language learning experience and communication skills. Drawing on recorded classroom dialogues, observation notes, and worksheets produced by the women, we demonstrate the extraordinary plurilingual resourcefulness immigrant and refugee women bring to the challenge of learning to communicate in English. Our aim is not to promote a particular teaching approach, but to suggest the value of ongoing critical reflection on the underpinning ideas of plurilingualism for immigrant and refugee learner groups such as those we experienced in our own classroom interactions.


Author(s):  
Putri Denaya Side Ayu ◽  
Heri Hidayatullah ◽  
Sri Ariani

This Collaborative Classroom Action Research aimed at enhancing students’ speaking skill through the application of Circle Game. It was conducted in one cycle consisting of two meetings. The subject was the seventh of C class of SMPN 2 Alas Barat consisting of 22 students. The types of data were qualitative (acquiring observation during the learning process) and quantitative (speaking tests). The results qualitatively showed that the implementation of Circle Game enhanced the students’ speaking skills. Such improvement could be seen from their enthusiasm, their interesting feeling in various materials presented by the teacher, their active involvement. In the quantitative findings, the result also showed a higher value of the mean score of the post-test (77.34) rather than the pre-test (75.75). In conclusion, the use of Circle Game can improve students’ speaking skill.


2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdulmalik Usman ◽  
Dahiru Musa Abdullahi

The paper seeks to investigate the level of productive knowledge of ESL learners, the writing quality and the relationship between the vocabulary knowledge and the writing quality. 150 final year students of English language in a university in Nigeria were randomly selected as respondents. The respondents were asked to write an essay of 300 words within one hour. The essays were typed into Vocab Profiler of Cobb (2002) and analyzed the Lexical Frequency Profile of the respondents. The essays were also assessed by independent examiners using a standard rubric. The findings reveal that the level of productive vocabulary knowledge of the respondents is limited. The writing quality of the majority of the respondent is fair and there is a significant correlation between vocabulary and the witting quality of the subjects. The researchers posit that productive vocabulary is the predictor of writing quality and recommend various techniques through which teaching and learning of vocabulary can be improved.


Author(s):  
Frank Abrahams

This chapter aligns the tenets of critical pedagogy with current practices of assessment in the United States. The author posits that critical pedagogy is an appropriate lens through which to view assessment, and argues against the hegemonic practices that support marginalization of students. Grounded in critical theory and based on Marxist ideals, the content supports the notion of teaching and learning as a partnership where the desire to empower and transform the learner, and open possibilities for the learner to view the world and themselves in that world, are primary goals. Political mandates to evaluate teacher performance and student learning are presented and discussed. In addition to the formative and summative assessments that teachers routinely do to students, the author suggests integrative assessment, where students with the teacher reflect together on the learning experience and its outcomes. The chapter includes specific examples from the author’s own teaching that operationalize the ideas presented.


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