HT's reflections

In today's ESL classrooms, there has been a tendency towards flipped learning, which has reversed the traditional learning environment by delivering instructional materials outside of the classroom. This piece of writing aims to give a reflection on Module 6, whose focus is on the flipped learning approach. Module 6 granted me valuable insights into flipped learning. In a flipped classroom, students can access provided materials online at home, which allows them to learn at their own pace and review the content if necessary. This also facilitates a student-centered approach, enabling learners to take charge of their own learning. Classroom time is then used for group discussions, hands-on activities where educators could provide feedback and answer students' questions. I believe this approach can promote more thorough understanding of learning materials, as students are actively engaged in the learning process and are encouraged to apply the knowledge they gain in the classroom...

In today's ESL classrooms, there has been a shift towards project-based learning and alternative assessment. These methods have changed the traditional teacher-centred classroom into a student-centred one. With project-based learning, students have a chance to do hands-on projects, developing their creativity and collaboration. Alternative assessment, likewise, offers several ways to evaluate students, from presentations and portfolios to peer evaluations. This essay aims to give a reflection on Module 5, whose focus is on the two aforementioned concepts. Apparently, adopting project-based learning and alternative assessment in the classroom poses several challenges. It requires a lot of time and resources to design meaningful projects and set fair assessment criteria. However, with the help of the module and my lecturer, it has been made a lot simpler. Module 5 has offered valuable insights into how to make a rubric for scoring students' work, which I have applied into the ora...

In week 4 of the course, I had a chance to learn about using CALL (Computer-assisted language learning) in writing and reading activities and to write a technology-enhanced lesson plan. As a student, I was familiar with writing and reading on papers, with a pen to draft out ideas for writing or take notes on reading passages. However, there has been a shift in language learning and teaching, and as a teacher, I have been more cognizant of how technology can aid students in the classroom. Regarding writing skill, I think Padlet can be a useful tool in the stage of brainstorming, as it allows students to read and exchange ideas. In instances where I lack the time to design handouts from scratch, I download worksheets from the British Council website. Preparation, reading comprehension, and post-reading tasks make up the majority of the worksheets on BC. Likewise, their writing lessons include both free- and controlled-practice exercises to help students grasp and apply the material. In a...

In week 3 of the course, we are given an opportunity to learn about tools for oral/aural lessons and social bookmarking, both of which will be discussed in this reflective essay. The first part, tools for oral/aural lessons, is what I find particularly interesting. In recent years, there has been a shift towards Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) (Chinnery, 2005), which I think is a positive change. Computer has helped teachers a great deal in making lessons more captivating and find authentic learning materials. Likewise, students have been able to use the Internet to improve their speaking, listening, and pronunciation skills in a foreign language (Chinnery, 2005). For this, I would really like to know which tool can best suit my students in oral/aural lessons. In the module, a good number of tools are introduced, including but not limited to Vocaroo, PechaKucha, Flipgrid, and Podomatic. Among these tools, I think the most suitable one for my teaching context is Podomatic...