Principles and Practice in Language Teaching – Classroom Approaches

Discuss the issues related to teaching practice and approaches based on the classroom setting in Malaysia (C3)

2. Instructions To Students

a. The students will be divided into groups of 4.

b. The students are required to select and watch a movie from a list of curated movies:

i. Dead Poets Society
ii. Freedom Writers
iii. Mona Lisa Smile
iv. Akeelah and the Bee
v. The Great Debaters

c. Students are required to write a report about the movie. The report should be based on these chapters:

i. Chapter 5 – The Postmethod Era:Towards Informed Approaches
ii. Chapter 6 – Foundation for the Classroom Practice

d. Students are required to support the report with a minimum of THREE (3) academic articles or journals.

e. The written report should NOT BE LESS than 1000 words OR maximum 8 pages excluding cover page and references.

3. The Format For The Report Should Be As Below.

a. Cover page.

b. Summary of the movie.

c. Chapter 5 – The Postmethod Era:Towards Informed Approaches found in the movie.

i. Provide evidence from the movie.

d. Chapter 6 – Foundation for the Classroom Practice found in the movie.

i. Provide evidence from the movie.

e. Conclusion

Experts Answer on Above Questions on Classroom Teaching Approaches

Summary of the movie

The movie selected for analysis is Dead Poets Society where John Keating, an English teacher challenges that school’s traditional teaching system. According to Keating, students should think independently rather than following the textbook analysis and memorization approach. They should aim at connecting their learning with personal experiences and this particular approach is highly leaned towards learner centred classroom practice compared to conventional teaching centred instructions.

Chapter 5 – the post method era – towards informed approaches

As per the post method era, it is important that the teachers should not depend only on one prescribed teaching method, rather they should adapt to classroom practices depending on the learners needs and educational requirements.

Learner autonomy

As per Keating, it is important that the learners should start forming their own opinions then accepting the interpretations that are given by the teachers. The evidence is clearly reflected in his approach whereby he asks students to approach poetry differently and encourages them to think on their own rather than memorizing the interpretations.
In the case of Malaysian classrooms, teachers can also encourage students to think independently and give their own opinion during literature discussions, presentations and problem solving activities.

Context sensitive teaching

Keating made changes to his teaching approach and activities as per the students requirement and classroom situation. For instance, students are taken outside the conventional classroom setting and they are encouraged to consider poetry from a different perspective.

Teaching as the reflective decision maker

The established instructional practices are not simply followed by Keating, rather he makes professional decisions about how to engage his students. This is evident from the fact that his lessons involve discussions and spontaneous classroom activities rather than following the rigid instructional style.
In the Malaysian environment, it is important for the Teachers to balance curriculum requirements and students expectations across different proficiency levels while selecting the classroom techniques.

Promotional critical thinking

Approach followed by Keating has forced students to move beyond reproducing information towards questioning established ideas.

Chapter 6- Foundations for classroom practice

The focus of Chapter 6 is on factors that affect the effective classroom teaching, classroom interaction and learning activities. It is clearly evident from the practices followed by Keating which includes inviting students to participate actively in discussions. The teacher-student interaction along with active student participation are crucial and Keating encourages this student involvement approach by requiring them to speak, interpret poetry and express personal views. In respect to Malaysian classrooms, teachers can emphasize on group discussions, debate and collaborative problem solving assignments to encourage students to work together and participate.

Balancing innovation with institutional expectations

It is clearly evident from the movie about the difficulty of introducing innovative teaching within a rigid educational institution. The areas that are given significant importance by Welton are discipline, academic achievement and parental expectations. The student centred approach of Keating directly conflicts with these expectations. This issue is clearly evident in Malaysia where teachers are required to maintain a balance between student centred and interactive approach with that of curriculum requirements, examination demand and school policies.

Conclusion

The teaching method of Keating clearly reflects the post method principles through contextual adaptation, learner autonomy, critical thinking and teacher decision making. The movie clearly indicates that the effective classroom practice heavily depends on teacher student interaction, active participation and supportive learning environment. These approaches are crucial in the Malaysian classroom environment, and they can be adapted through discussions, collaborative activities and critical thinking tasks.

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