You’ve just finished working with the Press on a course on listening and speaking. How do you think technology helps in the teaching of listening and speaking in the classroom?
Technology is a tool which helps teachers in doing so many things, easily. It helps teachers to engage students interactively, in ways which may not be
possible otherwise. Let us take an example. I want to engage my learners in a role play—a kind of speaking task—where the situation is of a hotel where a guest is talking to the receptionist while checking in. Typically, someone plays the role of a receptionist and another person role plays as a guest. But, this is based on cues teachers provide.
With the help of technology, teachers can create a virtual world and can simulate the situation for the students to participate. Learners download the application, and log in to the virtual world where the hotel environment is simulated and learners in their avatars can role play. Learners explore simulated environments, and there is much more authentic interaction and immersion in the target language resulting in better manipulation of their linguistic input. The only problem is access to connectivity. If we have access, technology is an immensely empowering tool, especially in teaching skills like listening and speaking.
Would you say that technology limits the student in the classroom? In other words, the affective presence of the teacher, the element of subjectivity helps students emotionally. Also, human feedback is essential in scaling assessments, isn’t it?
I don’t think so, because technology has redefined the classroom space. Today’s classroom is not always a four walled one. It can be a virtual space also. I would say rather than limiting the learning opportunities, use of technology has made it limitless/borderless. In teacher-led classrooms the teacher repurposes technology. For example, if I want to teach collaborative writing, I will use Google doc. Now, google doc in itself is not designed for teaching. But, I as a teacher can repurpose it as a pedagogic tool.
Affective presence of the teacher is ensured through webinars where teacher and peers interact with each other. In virtual learning environment there is a greater opportunity for peer learning and peer assessment. Both oral and written feedback can be given using technology. Teacher can record oral feedback and send it to their learner. Also, using track changes and comments tool in Microsoft Word the teacher can give written feedback to learners.
Can you elaborate on how technology can help in the teaching of listening skills?
Suppose I want my learners to listen to a particular thing. There is an application called POSTEROUS-. What I can do is I can record what I want them to listen to. I can then share the recording through the social media/email. I can ask my students to record and share their inputs. Each one of them can comment. The comments can also be shared. So, you can do the task at your own space and pace in a non-threatening environment. So, peer learning can be made more effective through the use of technology. Students feel liberated learning in this way, and they start taking ownership over their own learning, something which is very important.
You teach in a college located in the suburbs of a metropolis. How difficult is second language teaching and acquisition for non-urban students?
The major problem that I face, rather faced, is connectivity and access. In my college, I could only use stand-alone interactive resources. Now, things have started to change. We have tablets like iPad. Students use iPads and their instructional input can be shared through these devices. We prepare students for the workplace, and the communication pattern in the workplaces today has changed significantly. Today the emphasis is on self-directed learning and such learning takes place when learners take ownership of their learning. The students start taking ownership when they create content and use it. So we try to facilitate user-generated content creation through these technological devices.
How important is CEFR benchmarking in the Indian context?
I have the good fortune of working with school teachers as my trainees. The teachers working in schools under state boards have very limited understanding of international standards like CEFR. Indian teachers are primarily trained in literature. They have read Shakespeare, but they don’t receive any training in how to introduce target vocabulary to their students. If I tell them that they have to adhere to certain benchmarks like the CEFR, they are at a loss. They need methodological awareness about ELT in their teacher training courses. We assume that literature learning empowers them to teach language, but that is not the case. Course material which are benchmarked against the CEFR can be used only when we have teachers who have some tangible training in ELT methodology.
How has your experience of writing for the Press been?
I work with IATEFL which is one of the largest ELT associations in the world. Many of the Press’ existing authors like Herbert Puchta, Scott Thornsbury, and Marjorie Rosenberg are colleagues. I like the methodology used in their works. The book I just finished writing will cater to the demand of a particular board. At every point in time, my editor kept reminding me of the limitations of the curriculum. As an author I found the curriculum a bit limiting. I would have liked to introduce the contemporary methodology in the book. In fact, I have tried to introduce some of the things that our colleagues have been doing successfully in other contexts. I tried to introduce tasks which promote global listening. I think I have been successful in doing that. The same goes for speaking. The speaking task types have a clear lexical focus and that is what the curriculum wanted. But, I aimed at moving away from acquiring lexis to tasks which have real-life relevance and uses English as it is used by global speakers in real contexts.
About the author
Professor Chattopadhyay works as lecturer, trainer, researcher, supervisor, advisor and author in a range of contexts. A University of Leeds and Hornby Trust alumnus (MA in TESOL and ICT), he is Assistant Professor at Bankim Sardar College, University of Calcutta, where he is also the Director, English Language Centre. He is the incoming Joint Coordinator of Young Learners and Teenagers (YLT) SIG, IATEFL (UK) and the Vice President of AsiaCALL. He has given plenary and invited talks in Cambodia, China, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, UK, and Vietnam. He has just finished writing Cambridge Listening and Speaking for Schools, Class IX.
Do let us know your views on how you see technology as teacher’s tool in the Indian ELT classroom
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