CAR 9: The Use of Authentic Materials in The Teaching of Reading

Citation 
Berardo, Sacha Anthony. (2006). The Use of Authentic Materials in The Teaching of Reading. The Reading Matrix (2), 60-69. 

Summary 
Berardo talks about The Use of Authentic Materials in The Teaching of Reading and brings some of his own experiences about reading authentic materials. He believes that reading has its purpose. He believes the most useful authentic material is the Internet because it is a modern day reality and up to date. It also can be able to be read freely every time and everywhere if there is an internet connection. Authentic materials also can help people to communicate with the real language outside the classroom.

By choosing their own reading material [from internet], people can be motivated and bring them into depth curious in reading. What to be considered the most in choosing these authentic materials from internet is that they have to be ‘safe’ to read or suitable with their ages so that they will be highly motivated in reading. In this article, Berardo believes that reading authentic materials by choosing by their own will give them awareness of their language level and their understanding.

Implication 
In the teaching activity, it will be useful and interest the students when the teacher talks about him/herself. It can also bring a casual or relax atmosphere into the classroom.

CCU 8 - Great Expectations? Critical Discourse Analysis of Title I School–Family Compacts

Citation

Evans, M. S, and Radina Rachel. (2014). Great Expectations? Critical Discourse Analysis of Title I School–Family Compacts. School Community Journal, 24(2), 107-126. 

Summary

This article entitled “Great Expectations? Critical Discourse Analysis of Title I School–Family Compacts” is talking about the way of discourse documents contributes to the framing of family, school, and community partnerships and also the role of power in the compacts. Title I compacts primarily reinforce hierarchical models of parental involvement and emphasize transactional encounters over and above partnership activity. Title I is a federal program providing additional funds to districts and schools with high percentages of children who are economically disadvantaged. School–parent compact outlines the activities that the parents, school staff, and students will undertake to build and develop a partnership to help the children achieve to the State’s high academic standards. It assumes that a lack of awareness is the primary cause for disengagement and fails to consider the possibility that more systemic issues may be involved. For example, school outreach efforts are often focused on changing the behaviors of minority and low-income families so they are more aligned and supportive of the goals of school leaders.

The methods are critical discourse analysis (CDA) and corpus linguistics, by the discourses in Title I school–family compacts largely reinforces school-centric family involvement models. Second, the relationships between actors in the compacts are primarily transactional in nature, and there is little discussion of partnership work. Third, students are primarily cast as objects in school– family compacts with little agency in their own education. These findings were consistent across the sample regardless of school level or the racial makeup of the student population. 

Implementation

Language is all about feelings. Discourse and its critical analysis must be a great deal between the teachers.

CAR 8 - A Model of Small-Group Problem-Based Learning in Pharmacy Education: Teaching in the Clinical Environment

Article Summary for April 17, 2017 

Citation 

Khumsikiew, Jeerisuda., Donsamak, Sisira., Saeteaw, Manit. (2015). A Model of Small-Group Problem-Based Learning in Pharmacy Education: Teaching in the Clinical Environment. In The IAFOR Journal of Education (Vol. III, No. II, pp. 95-108). 

Summary

This research was talking about the implementation and the evaluation of using Problem-Based Learning [PBL] in the 5th year of Pharmacy students. The students were given a pre-questionnaire and post-questionnaire, both using 5 Likert scale to see their satisfaction. The result showed that the students felt confident in the aspect of doing the ‘Good Pharmacy Practice’. They felt that doing such kind of simulation with the PBL give them opportunity to practice the real-job and to be corrected by the staffs. 

Application 

This research give me more descriptive methodology which will help me in doing my on-going CAR. I will elaborate this PBL in my future CAR in a VHS because the steps are similar. The simulation with the PBL should be integrated with the curriculum and should be based on the real-job condition that can give real-job learning experiences not only a real practice, but also a real case they will face.

CCU 7 - Making Connections: Language Activities for Creating Interpersonal Tolerance in the Classroom

Citation

Renaud, S, and Tannenbaum, E. (2013). Making Connections: Language Activities for Creating Interpersonal Tolerance in the Classroom. English Teaching Forum, 1 (2), 24-31.

Summary

This article entitled Making Connections: Language Activities for Creating Interpersonal Tolerance in the Classroom is talking about the importance of making a good connection between students in a classroom. This article’s purpose is to make ESL/EFL learners have interpersonal relationship after being given some treatments or activities such as doing camping. The participants are the students that from the northern border area of Hispaniola, the Caribbean island shared by the counters Haiti and Dominican Republic. 

The mutual reflection and interaction devided into four levels; self, family, community, and the region & world at large. In the first and second level, self and family, some of activities that student can do to improve cultural awareness are name pantomime, what do you usually eat for breakfast, four corners, self-portrait, and my head. Then in the third level, community, some activities are language experience approach, mapping, interviews, and Islamabad procedure. Then in the last, the fourth level is region or world. Some activities that can be used in this level are stories, song & chants, and movies. According to this journal, by using this method or activities, the student be more enthusiastic in English and with their friends, so that the students have a high self confidence in speaking English. Students are more tolerance with their friends from the different background and also be more confident in speaking and delivered their ideas. 

Implementation

Nowadays, some formal school is beginning to implement this camping activity as one of the scout routine events. This method can be implemented if there is a collaboration between both the extracurricular trainer and the language teacher.

CAR 7 - ESP Learners’ Needs Related Learning for the Workplace: A Pragmatic Study for Business School

Article Summary for April 10, 2017 

Citation 

Liton, Hussain Ahmed. (2015). ESP Learners’ Needs Related Learning for the Workplace: A Pragmatic Study for Business School. In the International Journal of Instruction (Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 3-16). 

Summary

This research is about the study of pragmatical clause used in the business real world communication that should be thought to the students to improve their performances in the workplace. The data which was collected from the questionnaire were analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. The result is that the current ESP is not focusing to the learners’ needs yet. Therefore, there are some suggestion for this result.

·     Pragmatic ESP course should be redesign in order to make it suitable with the future workplace communication condition, 

·        The textbook should be completed with the DVD in order to give real picture of the use of ES, 

·        ESP classroom should be using learner-centered task-based communicative approach, 

·        The material should come from the real used material a.k.a authentic materials. 

Application 

This research give me more understanding of the importance of using authentic materials and of modifying the material based on the learners’ needs.

CCU 6 - Othering: A Path for Critical Cultural Awareness in the Language Classroom

Citation

Moncrada Linares, S. (2016). Othering: A Path for Critical Cultural Awareness in the Language Classroom. HOW, 23 (1), 129-146. 

Summary

This article is entitled Othering: A Path for Critical Cultural Awareness in the Language Classroom that is talking about pedagogical activity which should promote the cultural awareness, especially in language classroom. This is because in the language classroom the students are not only learning about language itself but they should know the fundamental things of language a.k.a culture. Therefore, it is really important to teach the students about critical cultural understanding. 

Implementation

Language classroom is about communication which refers to any way of delivering the information. Here, by introducing the term ‘culture’ and the importance of understanding the term ‘culture’, I think the language classroom can be a fun classroom that we can do anything in order to get the goal of communication.