Preparation for a Reading-to-Learn Lesson - Case Study Example

EVALUATIVE REPORT AND PORTFOLIO Client Insert Name Client Insert Institution Client Insert Date Evaluative Report and Portfolio PART 1: LESSON PREPARATION FOR A READING-TO-LEARN LESSON Choosing Test Learning is a continuous process that requires commitment and astute engagement with the students in order to achieve the desired results. When preparing for a reading-to-learn lesson, the first process is to establish the type of text that is to be used for the teaching exercise. This practice chooses a text about the Nazi regime in the ancient Germany history to help students understand key principles important for the practice of reading and adducing meaning to texts provided. The chosen text provides critical insights about the influence that Nazi region in ancient Germany had within the society and requires students to analyze it so as to provide the key factors that enabled this regime of the day to have such dominance and impact. This information is important for any historian with interests in understanding global politics as developments leading to the growth of Nazism was critical to shaping the events of global politics beginning with World War II and the Cold War eras (Strom 1994). This is the reason informing the choice of this text for analysis during the reading-to-learn lesson. The Chosen Text The excerpt chosen for this study is taken from Chapter three of Margot Strom's book, Facing History and Ourselves: Holocaust and Human Behaviour. The text is entitled, The Nazi Party Platform and its excerpt reads as follows: In 1918, At the end of World War, the German Monarch (king) fled the country, opening the way for Germans to replace a monarchy with a different form of government. Many Germans (but not all) wanted the people to have a voice in government and adopted a new constitution to set up a democratic system with elections, representatives, and civil rights. Because this constitution was adopted in a town called Weimar, the first democratic government in Germany is often referred to as Weimer Republic. Thirteen years later, in 1933, the Nazis received a majority of votes and had more seats in parliament than any other party. In other words, they were the most powerful political party in Germany. When the Nazi Party had the majority, it gave its leader, Adolf Hitler, control of the government. By the middle of 1933, Hitler and Nazis passed new rules that made all other political parties illegal and gave Hitler complete control of the government. In 13 years Germany went from being a democracy to a dictatorship (Strom 1994, p. 81). Rationale for the Text According to Coffin & Donohue (2014), in order for reading to become alive in the minds of the reader, it is important to ensure that they are able to recognize the ideas contained in the text and are able to connect with them at a level similar to some of the experiences they have in their own personal lives. Students engaging in literary analysis should be able to place in context the ideas contained in a text with their personal beliefs, historical events they have previously read or remember, and the knowledge of other texts containing similar ideas shared in the one under review (Coffin & Donohue 2014). In order to make these connections therefore, Hyland & Hamp-Lyons (2002), suggest a strategy called, Text-to-Text, Text-to-World, Text-to-Self Approach which encourages students to find connections in the texts they read with any of the three spheres of influence to them, that is, personal experiences, experiences around them, or experiences in other forms of literature (Hyland & Hamp-Lyons 2002). This is the guiding strategy that is used in this lesson preparation for students where the Text-to-Text, Text-to-World, Text-to-Self Approach is used to help the learners understand and make meaning of the ideas in the excerpt above used for the lesson. It is a wide concept that can be applied both to historical and literary texts or other forms of media and it is also flexible to find application at the beginning, middle, and/or end of any reading process (Halliday 2005). This strategy is further helps students engage with the text when they start reading, it helps them understand the texts deeper in the course of reading the text, and it can also help the teacher evaluate the understanding that students have on a given text of study. The Procedure of the Pedagogic Portfolio There are three steps that inform the Text-to-Text, Text-to-World, Text-to-Self Approach used for the teaching of the above text to students. These steps are drawn from the three areas of interest identified within the approach and the following section provides the format of how these steps can be followed with sample guideline questions that can be used to help students read and understand the text. Step One – The Preparation to Reading-to-Learn Text Analysis by Students The selected text, The Nazi Party Platform, addresses a universal theme that is thought to resonate widely with most of the students’ experiences as well as materials that they may have read and interacted with before in their own personal and academic lives. For this case, each student will have a copy of the excerpt so that they can mark them in any areas where they find the contents of the paper resonating with their personal experiences. Step Two – Reading the Text actively using the Text-to-Text, Text-to-World, Text-to-Self Approach used This approach helps students dissect a text to understand it better and associate it with their own experiences they may have touching on the thematic areas covered in the text. The students are at liberty to make small notes either on the text itself or in their journals whenever they identify a point/idea that resonates with their personal experiences throughout the activity. In order to bolster the activity and make it more interactive and entertaining for students, special graphic organizers can also be provided for them to record their answers. In view of The Nazi Party Platform, text above, the following is a guide of how the activity can be used during a reading activity. The students are directed to read the text aloud once without concerning themselves with the ideas being shared in the text but rather to familiarize themselves with the text. They are then asked to read the text the second time to identify ideas that resonate with them and they can identify these ideas by answering the following three questions: Text-to-Text Relationship – the students are asked to try and remember how the text they are reading reminds them of another text, story, movie, song, among other forms of media that they have previously come across. The following questions would help: 1) The Nazi Party Platform text that I have just read, reminds me of …………….. (book/movie/song) because …………………………………………………….. 2) The ideas contained in the Nazi Party Platform text are similar to some of the ideas in ……………………….. because ………………………………………. 3) The ideas contained in the Nazi Party Platform text are different from the ideas in ………………… because ………………………………………………………. Text-to-Self Relationship – here students are asked to analyze how the ideas in this text relate to their own lives and experiences. The following guiding questions would help in this regard: 1) The story I have read in the Nazi Party Platform text reminds me of the time when I …… 2) I can identify with what I have read in the Nazi Party Platform text because in my own life…………. 3) I do not think what I have read in the Nazi Party Platform text is true/right because …………….. Text-to-World Relationship – here students are asked to analyze how the ideas in this text relate to the larger world, present, past, and future situations around them. The following questions would help: 1) What I have read in this Nazi Party Platform story makes me think about ……… (a given event from my past) because ……………………………………. 2) What I have read in this Nazi Party Platform text makes me think about ……….. (event from today) because …………………………………….. 3) What I have read in this Nazi Party Platform text makes me ponder on the future since …….. Step three – Debriefing using the Text-to-Text, Text-to-World, Text-to-Self Approach used This section provides a good platform for the students to interrogate the text that is under consideration where their level of understanding of the text is tested when they discuss their responses with their respective peers (Halliday 2005). During this process, there are two recommended strategies that can be used by students and these are, the Think-Pair-Share Strategy where the students gather in pairs and they retell the text in their own words to their colleagues and the Assigning Roles Teaching Strategy where the students act out roles from the text (Hyland 2002). This forms the larger part of the teaching strategy that helps the student to analyze the text they have read and enhance better understanding of the ideas contained in it. One of the most important principles of teaching students to read is to implore them to success and when they succeed to praise their efforts and encourage them. This is a very important approach to teaching reading working as a reward scheme for employees where students find extra motivation at the promise of encouragement, appreciation, and rewards (Hyland 2002). It makes them put in all their efforts to ensure success in what they do so that they can be commended and appreciated from a teacher’s point of view. PART 2: ONLINE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF EAP Learning English is a very tedious process especially for students to whom English is a second language and therefore requires a lot of assistance to help them to master the language well. In this regard, there are different platforms that exist providing pedagogical support for students with different strategies and approaches for English for Academic Purposes (EAP) learning. One of the platforms that provide very instrumental insights for EAP learning offering online support is Centre for English and World Languages. This platform is very interactive and detailed in its approach to teaching support for EAP and this makes it very student friendly and effective in the delivery of its insights for students (University of Kent 2015). Summary of the Platform It has five resources for EAP learning that are customized to the needs of students. These resources are teaching aids for Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking and Critical Thinking where each course is provided with detailed guidelines and self-explanatory modules that guide students through the whole courses as shown in figure 1 below. Each course module has a moderator who serves as the teacher of the module for the student offering real-time assistance for the student for the whole time that the students would be involved in the course. From the five courses offered to the student with the desire to learn English for academic purposes are also interlinked to each other to ensure that the students both get practical and theoretical knowledge of the English language. The students are taught reading and writing skills that makes them well acquainted with the language and this enables them to have good skills to make them an authority in language (University of Kent 2015). Fig. 1: Snapshot of the Online EAP Teaching Platform Source: (University of Kent 2015, p. 1) Reason for Choosing the Platform What makes this online teaching platform so good is the manner in which it has been designed for easy usage and maneuvering when one gets onto the platform. The taps that help the student to select the course module they are interested in are centrally placed on the website and easily visible and accessible. By a click on any of the five courses provides further links indicating the details contained under each course; details that are divided into smaller modules that are regulated by specific tutors on stand-by to assist the students. In addition to this, based on the level of proficiency of the learner, there is the provision that one can just select to participate in the modules within the different courses that are of interest to them and this makes it very convenient for those that just want refresher training on a selected modules within a given topic. The courses are structured in a way that enables the learners to experience both practical and theoretical concepts of the English language both in spoken, written formats (Unsworth 2000). In addition to this, the platform indicates that the resources in the courses are accredited and designed by the staff of the University of Kent’s Centre for English and Word Languages. This makes the courses offered on the platform very authoritative in their content and validity giving learners a great bank of ideas to enhance and complement their skills in the Language (Unsworth 2000). Because of this accredited status of the courses offered on the platform, it can also be used by English tutors that may be interested in bolstering their knowledge base and expertise in the teaching of EAP. The platform further indicates that the courses have been devised in a manner that makes it possible to be improved and effected over the course of time (Veel 997). Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Teaching and Learning Tools for EAP Learning in contemporary society today has been diversified by the development of technology and the internet which has developed online teaching and learning as a fast growing approach to studying. According to Van Leeuwen & Humphrey (1996), there are different reasons that support the growing development and preference for online learning especially in the EAP learning and teaching. Some of the advantages of the online learning and teaching platforms for EAP include the following: Online platforms are convenient making it possible to schedule lessons around work and family responsibilities Online learning platforms helps save on costs such as traveling and extra accommodation costs for off-campus students Online learning platforms are flexible enabling students to select on those learning materials that are relevant to them and those that meet their level of knowledge and interest Online learning platforms makes it possible for students to access their study materials from anywhere around the world provided they have internet access and a computer device Online learning platforms have self-paced modules that allow flexibility for students that may have other responsibilities so that they study at their own convenient pace (Martin 2001). Online learning platforms makes access to colleagues and instructors easy and constant at any time as students can join chats and discussion platforms whenever they need to, so as to share their insights, ask questions, and/or seek guidance from the instructors. This further helps to foster more interaction among all participants in the learning process for a given course module on an online platform The use of different eLearning tools makes it possible for there to be different learning styles making it possible to learn through different activities and the learners are encouraged to opt for activities that best suit their capabilities and preferences (Rose 2006). Despite these advantages of eLearning through online platforms, there are also some challenges that face online learning platforms for EAP. In this regard, Hood (2010) outlines the following areas as forming the most critical challenges informing the disadvantages associated with online learning: Online learning platforms require learners who are self-motivated and good study habits and those that do not have these qualities are likely not to succeed as they may fall behind through the course modules Online learning platforms require students to be very conversant with the setting of the website through which they are offered and this may become confusing for some students with minimal knowledge about computers and using the internet Online platform appears abstract most of the time and learners may feel isolated from their instructors as well as classmates (Hood 2010). Given that online learning requires internet access and well functioning computers, in areas where there is slow or no internet connection or old computers is likely to make accessing course materials difficult or frustrating for learners which works against the learner (Hood 2006). It is difficult to stimulate lab-based practical through virtual learning and this may negatively impact the learning experience for the learner (Delahunty, Jones & Verenikina 2014). Conclusion The Centre for English and World Languages platform has been designed with these advantages and disadvantages in mind where the designers have endeavored to make it more user friendly and increase the student experience in relation to the challenges identified above. The setting of the platform is easy to access as even its access link is short and easily copied and pasted on any computer device that may be used. In addition to this, the contents of the course modules are contained in Portable Document Format (PDF) which is a format that can be used on different devices irrespective of the specific application software, operating system, or hardware installed on the device (University of Kent 2015). This makes the platform widely applicable to different computer devices. These are some of the internal improvements that have been incorporated in the Centre for English and World Languages platform to try to help improve the student experience when using it as a learning tool for EAP. This notwithstanding, the traditional challenges of online learning such as difficulty with using the platform where there is poor internet connectivity still persist even for the Centre for English and World Languages platform but in general, the platform has been optimized to try make the learning experience improve for the learners. Bibliography Coffin, C. & Donohue, J. 2014. A Language as a Social Semiotic - Based Approach to Teaching and Learning in Higher Education – Language Learning Monograph Series. Michigan: Wiley. Delahunty, J., P Jones & Verenikina, I. 2014. ‘Movers and Shapers: Teaching in online Environments.’ Linguistics and Education, vol. 28, pp. 54–78. Halliday, K. 2005. ‘A Fragment of Autobiography’. In Halliday M.A.K. & C.M.I.M Matthiessen (eds) Selected Works of M.A.K. Halliday on Applied Linguistics. Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press. Hood, S. 2006. ‘The persuasive power of prosodies: Radiating values in academic writing.’ Journal of English for Academic Purposes 5, 37–49 Hood, S. 2010. Appraising Research: Evaluation in Academic Writing. London: Palgrave. Hyland, K. & Hamp-Lyons, L. 2002. ‘EAP: Issues and Directions’. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 1–12. Hyland, K. 2002. ‘Specificity revisited: How Far Should we go Now?’ English for Specific Purposes, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 385–395. Martin. R. 2001. ‘Technicality and Abstraction: Language for the creation of specialized texts’. In A. Burns & C. Coffin (eds) Analyzing English in a Global Context. London: Routledge. 211-228. Rose, D. 2006. ‘Metaphors, Grammatical’. Encyclopedia of Language & Linguistics, vol. 8, pp. 66–73. Strom, M. 1994. Facing History and Ourselves: Holocaust and Human Behaviour. New York: Foundation Inc. [Online] Available at: https://www.facinghistory.org/sites/default/files/Decision- Making_Injustice_Lesson_6.pdf University of Kent. (2015). Centre for English and World Languages. [Online] Available at: https://www.kent.ac.uk/cewl/eap-resources/index.html Unsworth, L. 2000. Investigating Subject Specific Literacies in School Learning. London: Cassell. pp. 243-274. Van Leeuwen, T. & Humphrey, S. 1996. ‘On learning to look through a geographer's eyes’. In R. Hasan & G. Williams (eds) Literacy in Society. London: Longman. 29-49. Veel, R. 1997. ‘Learning how to Mean- Scientifically Speaking: Apprenticeship into Science Discourse in the Secondary School’. In F. Christie & J.R. Martin (eds) Genre and Institutions: Social processes in the workplace and School. London: Cassell. Read More