I am very interested in a common topic that is being disscused by many teachers now a days, EDUCATION IN VENEZUELA. I Studied in a forming teaching University. We are tought about how to use new techniques in the classroom, how to use technology, how to work with many other resources at different levels, etc and It´s really hard studying education without being at the schools yet! What´s the result?, after you graduate as an " English Teacher" you have many expectatives on how your students are going to be, what their needs are and what you are going to teach taking those needs into account.
Most of teachers plan their classes, create wonderful teaching environments and look forward to motivate their students. If you are a Public High School teacher in Venezuela, this is not your reality; this is a dream. Not only teachers, but also students even count with available and good computers, no Cd players, no video beams, No extra material such as paints, posters, updated english books, etc. So, It tends to be a little bit difficult and unconfortable for teachers.
We learn great activities, when, how and where to apply them, we attend to excellent workshops and conferences along our career development and then, we you go to the classroom, you are lack of resources and you loose a little bit of that extrinsic motivation. According to Carol Bainbridge "Extrinsic motivation refers to motivation that comes from outside an individual. The motivating factors are external, or outside, rewards such as money or grades. These rewards provide satisfaction and pleasure that the task itself may not provide" . In this order of ideas, we do not care about money or grades, but on the quality of students we, as teachers, are forming. Motivation in the classroom is the key to success and it must begin with teachers, if not, we won´t be able to accomplish our goals.
Now, it is not only that teachers cannot use technology as we may want.. as a very useful and easier resource for leaning a second language, but also the lack of respect students have towards us. Now a days, they have all facilities to study and pass their subjects. The activities cannot be demanding at all, they MUST be EASY. If you ask them to draw a "Mental Map" about their lives, they do not take it to the class or do not even bring the materials for it. Later, they complain because the activity was VERY DIFFICULT and the teacher speaks ENGLISH in the classroom. Minutes later, the head of the department goes to the classroom and complain at me saying: MARY! REMEMBER THEIR LEARNING PROCESS HAS TO BE VERY EASY, THEY HAVE TO UNDESTAND YOU, SO COULD YOU ASSING ANY OTHER EASIER ACTIVITY THAN THE MENTAL AND DO NOT SPEAK ENGLISH, PLEASE?
Come on teachers, It´s a reflexion!!! We are very smart professors and we want to make our classes interesting for the Ss but we can´t because of the lack of resources. I do not mean I cannot create other activities or apply new techniques, but that won´t be anough. In spite of the fact we use our imagination and become creative and loving teachers, we have a very high wall at the end of the hall!!! we have limits for teaching in most of venezuela public high schools. Why may I not speak English in my class??? Am I not an English Teacher?? Why the heads have to complain at me because of speaking and teaching a second language??
I love my job in Private Institutes, universities and also companies. I´ve got all motivation for working there and I am able to use technology in a bif field. Use the tools I´m getting through this online course and take them to the right way for their English studies. Make them see that we do not only need a book with plenty of lessons, that we do not need papers, sissors, glue, crayons and a book to study. WE, AS ENGLISH TEACHERS MUST MAKE THEM SEE BEYOND a book. WHY NOT DOING THE SAME AT SCHOOLS WITHOUT LIMITATIONS??
I need some help!!! Thank you very much!!
Hello Maria Silva!
ResponderEliminarNow I am having the general view of the education in your country. You write that it is difficult to understand what is to be a teacher without being at school. Does it mean that when the students study at the university they don't have any practice? In Kazakhstan the students first study the theoretical fundamentals and then have practice at school or other institution. Of course they discover all the difficulties only when they start working and teaching becomes their lifestyle and the real job.
It is sad that it is hard to achieve the true feedback while teaching English in Public High School in Venezuela. And the reason is that the classes lack technology opportunities . We have the same problem. Only few classes are equipped with computers and internet as well. The only technologies we can use during the lessons are audio- and video-tapes or laptops with some programs in them or power point presentations. But it is nice than the students have the internet at home. They prefer to be online almost every day.
As for the motivation, I understand your concern according this point. The modern students require the new ways of teaching, not the old ones which were used when were the students. For instance, I was trained by means of some post-soviet methods as it is well known Kazakhstan is the former state of former Soviet Union. But by that time it was natural to train the students in this way . Nowadays it should become natural to teach by means of technological facilities. And we as the teachers of today must strive to be modern. But the problem is lack of sufficient means of technology at the educational institutions. Anyway it is possible to alter, to find the way out. And I want the teachers make their best to apply more techniques.
I am convinced that this course will give us many new ideas on enriching the lessons of English. I can say I am having some already.
You say that you have some limitations in teaching English, i.e. you can't use only English while teaching. May it happen because the students can't understand you as they know little yet. It is my guess only…
Hi Maria,
ResponderEliminarThis is Carol, from Paraguay. I understand your worries. Here in Paraguay we have the same difficulties. Private insitutions and universities have a very different reality than Public institutions. We lack resources in public schools and we are talking BASIC!! meaning windows, doors, glasses, but the problem is that sometimes the curriculum has high expectations and the reality is different.
I am fortunate for working in a private institute but when I offer workshops to other engish teachers who work in the private sector I have to be very realistic and sensitive towards what they experience on a daily basis and give them the necessary practical ideas to be able to apply in class.
I belive this "limit" you perceive in not forcing students too much and being told not to speak in English is something we really need to clarify with the institutions we belong to or with the national curricula expectations. Kids love being challenged, and they love making their best to understand material. If everything is easy they lose interest and motivation.
I would also say that this attitude of "do not force their minds" is strictly related to political issues and fears of "not passing the limits". We lived 34 years of dictatorship and still experience the fact that people do not agree when others say what they think or do what they think is best for them.
This a is big issue to keep discussing about.
Regards,
Carol Ortiz
Hello Perizat and Carolina!!!
ResponderEliminarThank you very much for commenting on my blog and understanding my worries. Certainly, it is a political problem that doesn not let students see beyond their life, studies and reality. The government wants the teachers explain their classes with the easiest methods. The do not want a "forced learning". I use quotations because this is absurd. I´m going to write about it some other time.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH GUYS!!!
Hello Maria,
ResponderEliminarMy own local teaching circumstances are not better than yours. However, I have experienced enough to learn how to turn obstacles into opportunities, rather than let obstacles deter me from accomplishing great things. Language instruction can be more productive if we take account of some importnt steps. For instance, if we try to relate new concepts to sensible life experiences of ESL students, doors will open to move gradually from having mere extrinsic drives to hold deeper intrinsic motives.
Introducing unfamiliar vocabulary items can be held routinely as a pre-activity practice and complex sentences can be broken down into more comprehensible parts; adopting other learning materials which cover the same content yet with a lower complication level can be a choice in case you see that the comprehensibility level might be impeded by the text's difficulty; incorporating any handy technological tool may give the classroom input vivid touch and hence give it a push to be digested, especially during warm up activities; having more reliance on modelling and scafolding during instructional procedures will address more low achievers and hence engage them in more classroom practices; in addition to many other instructional strategies which will definitely find their paths toward creating interesting learning experiences.
The most important of all is demonstrating the sense of respect and helpfulness for students. Teachers should always allow a door of trust to open especially if they see it as deepening and nurturing a pasionate teacher-student relationship.
Best,
Hassan