ARBA MINCH UNIVERSITY

                                         POST GRADUATE STUDIES

           DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

                         CALL INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT (TASK 1 & TASK 2)

                                      WRITEN REPORT ON BOTH TASKS

                                            By: Elias Kuche –SMA/007/05

                                            Submitted to: Ato Tesfaye H/M

                                                                                                                                           AMU

                                                                                                                                           Aug 2015

Introduction

In this report, I included all the activities I had done in the classroom with my students. My students had different needs, preferences and styles of learning so that I selected tasks appropriate for their needs and designed it to suit to individuals according to their difficulties. Providing special assistance for students who have problems of learning, helps students to get effective teaching and makes their learning meaningful. In line with this, I chose tasks which were appropriate for students with different impairments.

General Description

In this task, I was given an assignment based on Computer Assisted Language Learning. The tasks are:

    1. Grammar Lesson for Grade 11 visual impaired students.

    2. Grammar Lesson for Grade 11 hearing impaired students.

To run both activities (tasks), I used the current English grade 11 students’ text book of the Ministry of Education of Ethiopia. The first task was about grammar lesson for visually impaired students. I took an appropriate task for these students from the text book of page 20 (section B1.3) on “Language focus: The present perfect.” I transferred the lesson in to power point presentation software by selecting the lesson, then moved to the “edit” section and click on the “take a snapshot.” Then, I passed it in to power point. Finally, I moved to the slide show section in my computer to record and narrate the task so as to suit it appropriate for visually impaired students. The lesson was designed in the form of listening. This is because my students were visually impaired. To accomplish it, first I designed pre-task questions for discussion in order to familiarize students with the lesson. Then, I entered in to the main parts of the lesson by narrating it. I told students to complete activities provided at the end of the task with their partners and finally discussed on the answers with the class.

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The second task was grammar lesson for hearing impaired students. I selected a suitable task for these students from grade 11 English text book of page 32 (section A 2.6) on “Language focus: Comparing things.” I showed them useful languages for comparing number, quantity, and qualities of things. Based on the given notes, I told them to do the activities given under the task. In order to help the hearing impaired students, I designed visual supported presentation in relation with the tasks so that it made them understand the lesson more clearly and answer questions accordingly. After contextualizing the visual support with that of the written lesson, students had more understanding on the task and gave correct answers for the activities. Finally, students were evaluated and given feedback on their work through the whole class discussion.

My reflection about the tasks and their usability in my context

The tasks I selected for grade 11 visual and hearing impaired students were appropriate and good at their level and they were not too much difficult for students to do them. In addition to this, both tasks were familiar with student’s background knowledge so that they were usable in the classroom teaching-learning at the student’s grade level.

Generally, teaching students by considering their difficulties, needs and other learning variables helps them to understand the tasks given in the classroom specifically and improves the teaching-learning process in general. Therefore, understanding learner’s variables and designing appropriate tasks with suitable teaching methods made my work effective. Therefore, this report on the tasks helps other teachers to consider the learner differences while designing and selecting tasks for the classroom.

The end!

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ARBA MINCH UNIVERSITY

                                                     POST GRADUATE STUDIES

                     DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH  LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

          GROUP ASSIGNMENT ON MOBILE LEARNING

SUBMITTED BY : 1 Dagninet Gebey---:SMA/005/05

                                                                          2  Gollo Goje-----SMA/011/05

                                                                          3  Elias Kuche-----SMA/007/05

                                                                          4   Mesfin Dana---SMA/022/05

                                                           Submitted to: Ato Tesfaye H/M

AMU, JULY,2015

Table of Contents

Contents                                                                                                                              page                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………..1

General description about the task……………………………………………………………………2

Our friends reflections and comments………………………………………………………………..2

Our reflection …………………………………………………………………………………………4

Usability of the task in our context……………………………………………………………………4

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………………….5

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                                       INTRODUCTION

Mobile learning is a way of learning by the help of technological instruments. This way of teaching- learning process is a modern way and which is very attractive and also made every learner and teacher active participant of the process. After having the skill of using mobile learning, students can learn different things before their lesson and also after their normal lessons. It can help them to be prepared for a new lesson and can help them to revise their lessons in their home after school.

Mobile learning can provide extra learning access for students. It can provide various programs related to their subjects or contents from different sources like internet. It can also help student to share different information among each other through Bluetooth.

In our activity, we used mobile to facilitate the teaching-learning process. The process is expressed in different sections. In the first section, we described how we did and what we did during the process. In the second section, we revealed our friends reflection and comments given at the end of visiting our tasks. Finally, we expressed our reflections and the usability of the mobile learning in our context.

               

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                                         General description about the Task

 The first thing that we did is selecting one reading and listening lessons from grade 11 students’ text book at the linked website of the ministry of education. From the text book we selected unit 3 part B for reading text and also unit 3 part A for listening text .Then we transferred the selected reading and listening text to our cell phones and we shared with our friends through Bluetooth to read the reading text and to listen the listening text by aid of cell phone.

According to the task of reading, we did pre-reading, while-reading, and post-reading tasks. We guessed the answer for pre-reading task and we read the task answered the activities in while and post reading stages. We listened text from our cell phone and worked all the activities with our friends. We checked our answer with our friends whether we were correct or not. Finally, we got feedback among each other.

Another things what we did is we asked our friends to explain what they felt about mobile assisted language learning is involved with the use cell phone to support students’ learning which are able to access reading and listening lessons. The usability about cell phone that presented the presentation on mobile device, the cell phone easily access the lesson, saving time and convenient in their context is very useful.

We let them think the sub-headings for the reading paragraphs that have no headings. Some of the paragraphs have no sub-headings. Due to this we let them think the sub-headings for the paragraphs that have no sub-headings and asked to complete it based on the reading context. Finally, we asked them about the styles of the reading and listening tasks whether it is suitable for them or not.

Our friends’ reactions and comments

After the mobile learning took place, we tried to organize what our friends’ reactions and comments in relation to the tasks learned or presented. Our friends said that they knew how can they effectively use mobile in their classrooms. They understood that they can learn different  language skills like reading and listening by using cell phones.

Reading with the tasks or activities which are designed from the text, our friends stated many things. The reading text, for example, is designed to assess our reading comprehension ability. This means that the task assess the three stages of comprehension i.e. pre-reading activities, while- reading activities and post- reading activities. This helps them to improve their reading comprehension ability. In addition to this, the reading text is about malaria (transmission ways, symptoms, drugs, vaccination, controlling ways…). In other words, the reading leaflet gives

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information to the public about malaria. So they gave answers for activities by relating or in relation to their background knowledge or understanding. For example, the pre-reading  questions says “talk about what you know about malaria.” This shows they can talk about malaria easily because they were familiar with the issue. In general, the leaflet is written and set out to make it easy for pupil to get a good understanding of the disease. It is also organized in sections and each section has a sub- heading so that it is easy to see what kind of information is included. However, they said there is some but not too much scientific and medical information.

Having said this, our concern goes to our friends’ reactions and comments regarding with listening task. They said the tasks in the listening text are designed to teach all listening stages (pre-listening, while-listening and post-listening). For example, there is a pre-listening  activities that says “what do you know about TB?” So they gave response for this questions by referring back to their previous knowledge about TB not by referring the listening text as the task is pre listening. This helps them to answer the while-listening easily. Moreover, there are activities that should be answered during while-listening and post-listening. Therefore, the activities or tasks of the text measures what is intended to measure. Besides, the lesson is about TB so that it is informative and gives enough information about TB. It is also advisable and interesting to listen. As a result, they were interested and motivated to learn the lesson to do the activities which are given us.

To conclude, our friends’ reactions and comments show that both the reading and listening tasks was helpful and purposeful to develop their reading and listening skills. They were also active participant and happy with the lesson.

Our reflection about the task

 The task is too much interesting for students in high school level. This is because high school students are matured enough in their age and they are academically better than the other lower grade level students. While we were applying both tasks (the reading and listening)using computer assisted language learning as a media and students share the task through their cell phones. Teaching the tasks through the modern method encourages all learners to participate in activities so that it makes the teaching and learning successful. We, teachers, have positive attitude and highly motivated towards the use of computer to teach English and actually used them for teaching and learning purposes so that intrinsic rewards, such as responsibilities, a sense of self worth and accomplishments play an important role in enhancing the positive attitude in motivation.

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                                Usability of the task in our context

  Teaching language through computer and other electronic materials really makes the teaching and learning of English as foreign language effective and efficient. The application of tasks in our context, in this grade level is essential and applicable if conditions are convenient. This means the applicability depends on the availability of resources. However, majority of our students had no access for the new technologies due to their poor family problem. Therefore, it is difficult to say CALL is applicable in our context unless students are with enough access and opportunities of the technology. However, it is possible to apply CALL in the classroom with some mobiles by making students in different groups.

                                       

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                                                    Conclusions

We had no such understanding on the technological and instrumental way of teaching learning process. But now we have seen the purpose of mobile learning as it can provide dictionaries, internet sources and other aids for teachers and students to make the lesson learn and looks like concrete. It would provide students which are physical more compared with accessible materials and can be used as the solution for lack of educational materials. It can apply in schools if we are devoted to use it, so we come to a decision to use mobile learning in our contexts to teach different lessons.

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Dagninet's group assignment

Communicative Language Teaching

In the past, the aim of language teaching or learning was for the students to master the form of the language. However, in this age of communication, modern language teaching method provides great emphasis for communication and trains individuals who will finally be able to use the language for communicative purposes. Equipping students for communicative skills that enable them to use the language in the real world is the primary goal of communicative language teaching. According to Wilkins (1976), as cited in Macaro, Vander plank, and Murphy (2010), communicative language teaching developed in 1970s on communicative functions, grammatical notions and English for Specific Purposes.