It`s not correct to
pretend to use course books as the only source of information and material for
our classes because we can be far away to offer a teaching process according to
the specific needs of our students. Besides being receivers of knowledge,
learners should have the opportunity 'to respond to or challenge the
information they receive from the perspective of their own culture, for this
reason we must supplement lessons with additional material as close as possible
to their own life experience. It can then serve other purposes more easily such
as for grammar review or extended reading, writing and speaking practice.
Group work and the
use of L1 create a good atmosphere in the class and save time, because students
feel less intimidate and it helps overcome 'problems of vocabulary, sentence
structure and language confidence.
The pupils not only
reviewed the grammar, but they did it by being 'engage in a language activity',
and ‘using language pragmatically'. They also used the cognitive processes
mentioned by Ellis, that of 'selecting, classifying, ordering, reasoning, and
evaluating information'.
Using a variety of
approaches and allowing learners to interact with one another, where they can
make use of what they have learned, through activities that 'encourage learner
initiation and creativity' and allow 'the possibility of peer feedback, adds to
the vitality needed in successful SLA, where the learners are not only
receivers of knowledge, but also decision makers.
Technology plays an
important role in the teaching students; it helps them gain apprenticeship into
new discourse communities. This is accomplished through creating opportunities
for authentic and meaningful interaction both within and outside the classroom,
and providing students the tools for their own social, cultural, and linguistic
exploration. The computer is a powerful tool for this process as it allows
students access to online environments of international communication. By using
new technologies in the language classroom, we can better prepare students for
the kinds of international cross-cultural interactions which are increasingly required
for success in academic, vocational, or personal life.
Technology gives
students and teachers the possibility to explore different materials adapted to
our environment and our daily life. Actually, there`s no excuses of saying that
we can`t find enough materials to develop a specific class or a specific
activity, because technology opens the door to a huge world of possibilities.
Definitively students
need to be involved into the learning process and we as teachers must allow
them to do it especially today when students can find the information = knowledge
anywhere. Teachers are just guide for students to language acquisition.
