Since 20th century teachers are trying to improve their teaching method in order to help students’ learning. Some of the new approaches have been extended around the world meanwhile others have failed. Why does it happen? Why is important to create new ideas in the teaching process?
Applied linguistics must provide teachers with the tools to determine whether new pedagogical ideas will success or not. But applied linguistics is not working on it; this paper has the purpose of providing teachers with essential information to answer those questions. According to the author, there are two vital aspects that must be taking into account: first, universities which prepare language teaching professionals must include educational change in their curriculum as an indispensable element of their preparation. Second, curriculum and teachers’ development are inseparable, for that reason educational change includes excellent teachers to improve the classroom. Social aspects influence the possibility of change too; teachers must analyze the social and cultural characteristics in order to apply a significant change. Some regions support innovations while others reject it.
Innovation on education starts since 1960s because of the optimism of the teachers at that time. Nowadays, teachers are more pessimistic than optimistic, for that reason current teachers are just beginning to realize innovation as an educational study. We agree that innovate is a difficult issue, and sometimes teachers’ innovations do not endure long time. People concerning on educational innovation are searching to find more successful procedures to implement innovations and keep it long time. But some people who criticize it argue that all innovations do not complete their original goal. However, it is important to continue in the innovation process as part of the teachers’ integral development because of the environment’s changes. Teachers can do a critical inform related with researches and practice. It helps them to overcome common problems, borrow ideas from some disciplines’ research traditions and obtain useful experience related to resolve innovation’s problems. Teachers can use the valuable information and modify their pedagogical practice.
Innovations in second and foreign language teaching
Innovation examples
Innovations in second and foreign language teaching
Innovation examples
The British Council’s international development work
The British Council develops a teaching program called the English Language Teaching Officers (ELTO) program. ELTO trains local teachers and administrators to transform imported pedagogical ideas into appropriate solutions to local problems. The goal of ELTO personnel is to modify how teachers think and behave in the classroom. ELTO focus on teacher instead of students, it prepared teachers in order to work and make their classes student-centered. The idea is that teachers understand and support learner–centered instruction to use it in the classroom. Besides, teachers must pay attention to the possible impact that socio-cultural factors can have on an innovation’s success, because it differs from one place to another.
The notional–functional syllabus
In the 1970s, Europe experimented many social changes, it caused that the Europe’s Council recognized the importance of been bilingual. Europe’s Council developed new syllabuses in order to adapt it to the new socials needs. Also, they adapted the curriculum according with the needs of adult learners, because they are different from secondary school students.
The notional –functional syllabus was innovative because it is based on learner –centered, and it was analytic rather than synthetic syllabus. An analytic syllabus takes into account the social purposes that learners have for learning the new language, learners must interact with and analyze real life situations that are significant to their needs. On the other hand, the notional –functional syllabus was very popular in 1970s and 1980s; because it was developed by applied linguists who were well prepared to develop a new syllabus, after once these specialists had finished the theoretical parameters of the notional –functional syllabus they classify these parameters into categories in order to put in order teaching materials. Finally, the new material was transmitting to teachers.
The process syllabus
The process syllabus
The process syllabus is innovative syllabus because, it is an analytic syllabus, it applies problem solving tasks; the process syllabus is situated within a curricular approach to organize language instruction; and the materials, methodology, and types of assessment used in a course are not programmed; content, materials, methodology, and assessment are negotiated between the teacher and the student during the course. It takes into accounts learners’ interests and needs.
The natural approach
The natural approach was first developed in USA to meet the language learning needs of the learners. Many of its ideas are based on monitor theory by Krashen’s Monitor theory, which consist of five hypotheses:
1. The acquisition-learning hypothesis: adults can learn a second language if they activate the subconscious learning process and the development of formal conscious knowledge about the grammatical rules, named matalinguistic awareness.
1. The acquisition-learning hypothesis: adults can learn a second language if they activate the subconscious learning process and the development of formal conscious knowledge about the grammatical rules, named matalinguistic awareness.
2. Conscious learning must be used just to monitor output that has been generated by the acquired system.
3. The input hypothesis states that learners acquire syntax and vocabulary by receiving and understanding input, they guess and infer syntax and vocabulary that would be hard to understand.
4. The natural order hypothesis: there is a natural order to acquire the grammatical structures of the new language. It occurs when adults acquire the language rather than they learn the language.
3. The input hypothesis states that learners acquire syntax and vocabulary by receiving and understanding input, they guess and infer syntax and vocabulary that would be hard to understand.
4. The natural order hypothesis: there is a natural order to acquire the grammatical structures of the new language. It occurs when adults acquire the language rather than they learn the language.
5. The affective hypothesis: Self-esteem, anxiety, and social and psychological distance, can affect the learning process. If students are self-confident when they interact with native speakers, they can receive good input.
The natural approach suggests the use of the oral communication as a way to learn grammar, teachers should allow linguistic competence during the process, and error correction should focus on meaning, grammatical rules should not the goal yet.
The natural approach suggests the use of the oral communication as a way to learn grammar, teachers should allow linguistic competence during the process, and error correction should focus on meaning, grammatical rules should not the goal yet.
The procedural syllabus
It is also called communicational syllabus, it is innovative because it was developed with a content that was not linguistically based; it developed a meaning-focused methodology in which students learn language by communicating; and it avoids using form –focused activities in the classroom, grammar rules. The most important goal is to communicate.
Task –based language teaching
Task-based language teaching focuses on analytic activities and material. It helps to work with different groups using top - down activities in which students develop inferring skills.
The content based approach
Teachers use imaginative activities as games and songs to teach in a creative and effective. The content –based approach lays on the learners’ mastery of the language and subject.
Implications for educational change
Curricular innovation is influenced by sociocultural aspects, the personal characteristics, the attributes of innovations, and the strategies used to improve the learning process in a particular context.
A theoretical framework for understanding innovation: who adopts what, where, when, why, and how?
A diffusionist perspective on curricular innovation includes social characteristics, social system variables, and the attributes of innovation; to informs adopters by means of the technology or common way of communication, to recognize the steps that adopters can follow in the process of accepting an innovation; identify all the consequences around the innovation; and analyzing how the innovation can be designed, put into practice, and preserved.
“Who” know the social positions of different participants? “What” define curricular innovation? “Where” is innovation socio-cultural context? “When” an interaction between time and the number of people that adopt an innovation. “Why” attributes those successful innovations possess. “How” classifies different approaches that help to change.
Characteristics of a renewed and innovative pedagogical practice
It is also called communicational syllabus, it is innovative because it was developed with a content that was not linguistically based; it developed a meaning-focused methodology in which students learn language by communicating; and it avoids using form –focused activities in the classroom, grammar rules. The most important goal is to communicate.
Task –based language teaching
Task-based language teaching focuses on analytic activities and material. It helps to work with different groups using top - down activities in which students develop inferring skills.
The content based approach
Teachers use imaginative activities as games and songs to teach in a creative and effective. The content –based approach lays on the learners’ mastery of the language and subject.
Implications for educational change
Curricular innovation is influenced by sociocultural aspects, the personal characteristics, the attributes of innovations, and the strategies used to improve the learning process in a particular context.
A theoretical framework for understanding innovation: who adopts what, where, when, why, and how?
A diffusionist perspective on curricular innovation includes social characteristics, social system variables, and the attributes of innovation; to informs adopters by means of the technology or common way of communication, to recognize the steps that adopters can follow in the process of accepting an innovation; identify all the consequences around the innovation; and analyzing how the innovation can be designed, put into practice, and preserved.
“Who” know the social positions of different participants? “What” define curricular innovation? “Where” is innovation socio-cultural context? “When” an interaction between time and the number of people that adopt an innovation. “Why” attributes those successful innovations possess. “How” classifies different approaches that help to change.
Characteristics of a renewed and innovative pedagogical practice
It should be creative, active, not be routinized. It should allow a communicative atmosphere, interactions between teacher and students, and students- students, autonomy. It should take into account specials needs, students’ differences, context, real world. The teacher must use different strategies, methods and techniques according to cognitive target. Also, s/he can use all the schools and community buildings.
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