Final Reflection Methods

Methodology
Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana
Sara Cano Ruiz
Juan Pablo Villa Rios

Component Foremost Aspects References

Key features 1. UPB School plans to transform from an English emphasis Área: Humanidades- Idioma Extranjero-
into a Bilingualism Project. Inglés: 2018
2. Its current emphasis is on English since 1999. Thanks to this,
there is a team teaching comprised by 2 teachers per group. From
kindergarten to 3rd grade there is the intention to sensitize and
engage learners from communicative skills (listening, reading,
writing and speaking). In 4th and 5th grades teachers work dividing
the group in beginners A.1 and basic A.2.1. In this progressive way,
when students arrive to High School are classified by basic A.2.2
and intermediate B.1.1.
3. This emphasis allows teachers to personalize the student’s
needs, strengths and weaknesses to reach out the communicative
competence.
4. The subject competence entails to communicate in diverse socio
cultural contexts through linguistic skills in both first and second cond
language to carry out an ethic interaction as active language users.
5. English Teaching Department works out taking into
consideration the Common European Framework of Reference,
Suggested Curriculum and DBA.
6. English department work together with UPB Language
Center through the project “Citizens of the World” that connects
foreign native speakers from ESPEX (Español para extrajeros) to
carry out conversations with school students through English as a
second language. This provides intercultural contextualized
opportunities to exemplify student’s real experiences for connecting
them to the world through English.
7. English projects contest such as Picture Bee for preschool,
Spelling Bee from 1st to 11th grade, Primary School Festival and
High School Festival in both campus Medellin and Marinilla promote
the vocabulary acquisition and can be a pretext to engage them in
their learning process in multiple scenarios.

The described characteristics lead not only English department but

also the school itself to implement content-based approaches in
order to reach the common institutional goal of transforming the
teaching practices to build up a bilingual school. Therefore, the
Bolivariana Method aims to teach English in real context, allowing
an authentic communication in order to immerse students in an
active language use, as part of the step by step process for using
English not focusing only on language teachers and students role,
but also on other content teachers and administrative staff. In this
arena, it is pertinent to consider the following aspects.
· To work out CLIL focusing on developing language process
through content
· Implementing Communicative Language Teaching
 methodologies
· To use English as a pretext to teach specific subject matter
· To impart classes not in English but through English
· Using language in school settings
· Supporting English classes with new ideas
· Enhancing language quality students obtain along their
processes.
Encouraging the learning community to use the language in the
surrounding context
· To drive an indirect learning of English as a result of the
constant opportunities to use the language
· To teach not only language form but also meanings and
culture
· Students explore and create through language exposure
· They can find solutions to real problems
· Student centered gives power to them for producing language
· Teachers should get qualified in teaching training and in
professional teaching development to lead communicative practices
inside and outside the classrooms.
Context UPB school was founded in 1937 in Medellín, Colombia. This Nussbaum, M. (2010) Sin fines de lucro:
institution has developed an Integral Pedagogical Model,that porque la democracia necesita las
approaches the formative process in competences and human humanidades. Buenos Aires. Katz
capabilities regarding the studies carried out by Martha Nussbaum.
In this sense, the domains adopted by the school are Life, Christian Barpal Editores
Humanism, Ethic, and Esthetic as part of the institutional
philosophy; that establishes how students should be educated in
their academic life.

The Bolivariana School has an emphasis in researching. In

preschool and kindergarten they work through exploration projects
based on the development dimensions, which lead them to discover
by themselves the knowledge in ludic and didactic situations. Then,
from 1st to 3rd grade, they work integrated curriculum through
topical nucleus like communicative, logical-mathematical, society
and technology, and learning how to be together. From 4th to 11th
grade are the content subject matter, highlighting that students start
developing investigation projects around 9th and 10th grades, which
is a differential element in their learning processes.

Around 5.000 students and 300 teachers comprise school

population. The socioeconomic levels are different regarding the
families’ conditions, that can variate from the lowest social stratum
to the highest, encompassing the whole metropolitan area.

This context embodies characteristics that can be applied and

reached in the Bolivarianan Method. The purpose is to enhance and
innovate the learning and teaching English process bounding the
school approach with its emphasis in human capabilities and
competences, curriculum syllabus, model and other institutional
 documents.
Theory of In this approach it is considered the learning process from the ZPD Bruner, J. S. (1960). The Process of
Learning position. This stands in Vygotsky's ideas, who claims that students education. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard
(Process) should and could be guided by other peers with more abilities or University Press.
more advanced in any subject. In this sense, in Burner´s words
(1960) is called the scaffolding concept, as “the way children build
on the information they have already mastered”. It is a teaching Krashen, S. D. (1982). Principles and
technique that fosters learners to work supporting other classmates practice in second language acquisition.
to reach a common goal, in order to facilitate their learning Southern California: University of
processes, regarding vocabulary, structure and spontaneous use of Southern California.
the language.

Vygotsky, L.(1978). Mind in Society, the

This concept is known as cooperative learning, according to Development of Higher Psychological
Vygotsky, students can work collaboratively in groups to elaborate Processes. Cambridge: Cambridge
different task or class activities. University Press, p. 121

For the author, social interaction contributes to increase the student

development from the start of the scholar process from the basic to
the complex, from the easiest to the difficult, and from the concrete
to the abstract.

To conclude, the constructivist model points out that students must

socialize initially in order to internalize the learning object, and also
to give solutions to real problems, the students should have
opportunities to advance in their analytical skills.
 On the other hand, in Krashen words, it is pertinent to acknowledge
the acquisition and learning function framed in his Monitor
Hypothesis theory. First, this process is subconscious; the students
start to interact with the surrounding environment from a natural and
spontaneous manner. This leads the children to acquire the
language in a natural way, not being aware of the language rules.
That is why, at the pace they receive input they are going to be able
to produce what they understood or comprehend. To Krashen,
comprehensible input is going to determined the quality of the output
they produce.

In a second place, the children will be aware of that production from

a formal instruction. This is acknowledged as the learning process
itself, that is what is recognized in the educational system.
Therefore, there are two independent system of second language
performance: acquisition and learning.

Theory of The theories that support the Bolivariana Method are embraced by: Barth, Roand Jossey-Bass. (2001)
Language CLT (communicative language teaching), TBL (task based learning), Learning By Heart. Edutopialand
PBL (project based learning) and some considerations taken from
the Postmethod.
Ellis, R. (2003). Task-based language
learning and teaching. Oxford: Oxford
To recognize the communicative approach, it is necessary to University Press.
emphasize on real life interaction and language use. Hutchinson &
Water (1984) defined communicative approach, as “learning-
Hee Shin, M. (2018). Effects of Project-
centered, that is known to be a teaching technique, which focuses
based Learning on Students’ Motivation
on assisting learners to communicate eloquently in the newly learnt
and Self-efficacy. English Teaching,
language,” (Tarranum & Iqbal, 2017, p.2). It centers on learners to
73(1), 95-114.
communicate with each other regarding the learnt language in the
frame of picking up and designing proper methodologies, through
using language communicatively. This approach ensures English
Hutchinson, T., & Waters, A. (1984).
second language learning.
How communicative is ESP? ELT
journal, 38(2), 108-113.
Richard (1992) argues that the communicative language teaching
constitutes competent learners for communicating in flexible ways
Kumaravadivelu, B. (1994) The
and real contexts, rather than in a define set of procedures and
Postmethod condition: Emerging
techniques that aims to specific requests. The identification of this
strategies for second/foreign language
concept allows finding out that Larsen and Freeman (1986)
teaching. TESOL Quarterly, 28.
conceive learners who are self-confident in the use of the language
learnt to create a communicative vision of the context.

Larsen-Freeman, D., (1986),Techniques

and principles in language teaching.
In this sequence, TBL can be conceived as “a task is an activity
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
where the target language is used by the learner for a
communicative purpose (goal) in order to achieve an outcome” McLean, James E and Lockwood,
(Willis, 1996). This position is reinforced by Nunan who says that a Robert E. (1996) Why We Assess
task is “A piece of classroom work that involves learners in Students - And How. Corwin Press, Inc.
comprehending, manipulating, producing, or interacting in target
language while attention is focused on meaning rather than
form….”(Nunan, 2004). Nunan, D. (2004). Task-based
language teaching. Cambridge:
 Cambridge University Press.
This method allows differentiating what is a task from an exercise.
According to Ellis perception a task is a compound of meaningful
Ogle, D.M. (1986). K-W-L: A teaching
activities that highlights meaning-focused language use, which leads
model that develops active reading of
to use the language for real purposes and conditions in the
expository text. Reading Teacher, 39,
environment. However, an exercise is an activity focused only on
564- 570.
language form, which can be superficial, emphasizing on
grammatical structures and linguistic forms. (Ellis, 2003).

Richards, J. C., Platt, J. & Platt, H.

(1992). Dictionary of language teaching
In addition, PBL can be understood as an instructional approach
and applied linguistics.2nd edition.
that leads students to learn by doing, asking questions and
London: Longman.
possessing a problem that should be answered in real life
experiences, connecting the classes within the local surrounding
issues (Hee Shin 2018).
Tarranum, B & Iqbal, M (2017)
Comparative Effect of Communicative
Approach of teaching on Male and
For this method, it is important to apply the K (know), W (want) and
Female Students’ Retention in L2. FWU
L (learn), that is a “scheme to activate students’ knowledge” (Ogle,
Journal of Social Sciences, Winter 2017,
1986). In the K component it helps students to explore their previous
Vol. 11, No.2, 82-91
knowledge about the class topic. For the W students reflect about
the issues or problems to connect them with subject matters, to
develop the ongoing process projects that follows the Learning
Willis, J. (1996). A framework for task-
aspect which allows the class to engage and produce through their
based learning. Essex : Addison
findings, understandings and overall process. Thus, this compounds
Wesley Longman Limited:
metacognitive strategies that lead the students to build significant
learning experiences. (Ogle, 1986).
 The final theory that guides the Bolivariana Method comes from the
PostMethod. Here the teacher decides what to do based on the
context and experiences. In this case, the teacher empowers
himself and can determine what is better for each learner. Teachers
become practitioners, where this comes from the theories related
with a specific context, becoming autonomous to theorize and apply
the theory in the teaching practice. (Kumaravadivelu,1994)

These described methods are the theoretical basis to construct the

designing of Bolivariana Method according to the school reality. The
academic and pedagogical intention is to implement them in a step
by step process that cross the curriculum planning both vertical and
horizontal way into the classes.

Principles According to the Methods described in the language theory, there Brown, H. D. 2007. Principles of
are several principles, which are the beliefs, conceptions and the Language Learning and Teaching Fifth
philosophical positions that support the Bolivariana Method: Edition. New York. Pearson Longman.
● Real life interaction and language use.
 ● Communicating in flexible ways and real context
● Classes can not be predictable
● There are different ways to make the same activity.
● Real communication
● Interaction between students, teachers and the community.
● Tasks and projects are appropriate for each level.
● Clear goals.
● Meaningful tasks and projects with real purposes.
● Authenticity
● 21st Century Skills such as: Communication, Collaboration,
Creativity, Critical Thinking
● Use of technology
● Learning what is needed to be solved
● Connecting learning experiences with the project
● Connect, wonder and investigate, construct, express, reflect
● Maximize learning opportunities
● Promote learner autonomy
● Foster language awareness
● Solving problems from experience and intuition.
● Integrate language skills
Student’s Student´s profiles embody the following characteristics: They are
role evaluated according with their performance, lead their academic and
formative process into life and career kills through leadership,
responsibility, flexibility, adaptability, self-direction, social and cross
cultural skills. Because all of them are characterized as citizens from
the new millennium and belong to the 21st century dynamics.

The population explore, create, experiment, physically manipulate

 things, and organize information in order to have access to people
and issues from the real world, and being able to develop a closer
relationship to the real-world context of tasks and projects. In this
way, students are the main stakeholders because they are the ones
who need to understand and produce through the language in real
settings, looking for choices to be understood and make themselves
to be competent in the recreation and simulation of real issues
inside and outside the classes, that leads to acquire the language
through communication.

Teacher’s For the Bolivariana Method, the Teacher’s Role is based on the
Role learning theories mentioned before. The teacher must incorporate
the characteristics from communicative language teaching, task
based learning, project based learning and the Post Method, who
becomes a monitor, a guide, which goes along with the students in
their learning process. The teacher is a leader, who provides the
material for the classes, he asks the students to reflect and evaluate
themselves, as he does it along with them in the process.

Teacher helps the student to carry out the inquiry process, regarding
the steps of connecting their ideas to problems in the real world,
wondering and investigating their ideas, constructing, expressing,
and later on reflecting on their findings.
 He develops tasks for communicative skills such as input and
output. Input for understanding (listening and reading) and output for
production (speaking and writing).

The teacher for the Bolivariana Method, must embrace three major
parameters presented in the Postmethod ideas, that are:
particularity, identifying what works in the class, doing the cycle of
observation, reflection and action; practicality, which relates theory
with the practice, where the teacher explores his classes to theorize
and create, and finally possibility that empowers the teacher to
make his ideas possible.

Thus, teachers are promoters to create permanent opportunities to

lead students to produce the language according to pertinent,
meaningful and relevant tasks, projects and activities with a
determined communicative intention.
Type of As it has been mentioned before in the theory language by
method Hutchinson & Water (1984), this is Learning Centered Method. It
focuses on the determined communicative process because foster
learners the chances to participate and engage through
communicative activities or problematic situations. These allow them
for solving task in context inside the class, taking into account the
classroom teaching, materials elaboration, syllabus designing and
the assessment outcomes.
 At the same time, it is Learner Centered Method framing the Brown
´s contribution into the field (2007). This represents the student as a
foremost stakeholder in order to use the language. Student centered
learning drives to be an approach to language teaching
methodology focusing on leading them to communicate among
others learners in context, fluently and accurately in both social
interaction and content subject matter.

These types of methods represent the function of language in

communication with meaningful and real purposes.
Materials Regarding the named aspects so far, the material should be Arnold, E. (1991). Authenticity revisited:
authentic and real. In this branch, it enhances the development of how real is real? English for Specific
communicative skills. Nunan (1988) has said that this can be Purposes, 10(3), 237-244.
created for purposes not only related with teaching languages.
Authenticity provides learners with available materials found in their
own real world. The more authentic the material in classroom is, the Nunan, D. (1989). Designing tasks for
learning is better (Arnold, 1991). This authentic material belongs not the communicative classroom.
only to the outside world but also in classroom. “The classroom has Cambridge: Cambridge University
its own reality and naturalness. Participants in the language Press.
classroom create their own authenticity there as they do elsewhere”
(Taylor, 1994, p. 11).
Taylor, D. (1994). Inauthentic
authenticity or authentic inauthenticity?
These called authors find in common the need to provide rich input Teaching English as a Second or
in the classroom practice. This brings up to design the lesson plans Foreign Language, 1, 1-10.
regarding short presentations of grammar contextualized in specific
context as a pretext to drive the class into the interaction through
role plays, oral presentation, dialogs, games, information gasp,
problem solving and of course, the implementation of realia through
magazines, newspaper, recipes, digital mediation and elaboration of
posters and billboards, to name some of them.