English teacher and classroom

management
[3.1] How to study this unit

[3.2] Digital competence

[3.3] Our role

[3.4] Classroom management issues

3
UNIT
 ICT Tools Applied to the Learning of English Language

Key ideas

3.1. How to study this unit

For this unit you must read and study:

The key ideas.
From the article “ICT in English”:
‘Classroom management issues (p. 54-55)
‘Assessment procedures (p. 56-57)

Remember: the article is available in the following link:

http://es.scribd.com/doc/73502262/Unit-1-WH-ICT-in-English

From the following article “Recommendation of the European Parliament and of

the Council on key competences for lifelong learning”: ‘Annex. Key Competences for
Life-long Learning – A European Reference Framework’ (p. 13-19). It is available in
the following link:
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32006H0962&from=EN

In this unit we are going to learn about the importance of getting to know official
regulations about the use of ICT in education in general and in the ESL in particular: in
the EU and in Spain and our Comunidades Autónomas.

For further information about it, look it up in official web sites.

UNIT 3 – Key ideas

 ICT Tools Applied to the Learning of English Language

3.2. Digital competence

Order 2/2006, 3rd May in Education establishes and integrates key competences
in the curriculum as one of its tenets. With that step, the Spanish government assumes
the conclusions of different international committees (European Commission and
OECD) and PISA report about the teaching and learning of key competences as a
tool to enhance quality and equality in our educational system. Therefore, the
integration of the competences in our curriculum means the first important
step to bring together the Spanish educational system and the international demands.

What are those key competences?

In what way do they affect our teaching practice?

As the European Commission defines, “key competences are a combination of

knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the context. They are particularly
necessary for personal fulfillment and development, social inclusion, active citizenship
and employment.”

Key competences are essential in a knowledge society. They are also a major factor in
innovation, productivity and competitiveness, and they contribute to the
motivation and satisfaction of workers and the quality of work.

Key competences should be acquired by:

• Young people at the end of their compulsory

Key education and training, equipping them for adult life
competences
should be
acquired by: • Adults throughout their lives, through a process of
developing and updating skills

These key competences are: communication in the mother tongue, communication in

foreign languages, mathematical competence and basic competences in science and
technology, digital competence, learning to learn, social and civic competences, sense of
initiative and entrepreneurship, and cultural awareness and expression.

It’s not difficult to guess which ones we need to improve.

UNIT 3 – Key ideas

 ICT Tools Applied to the Learning of English Language

Let’s see:

Communication in the mother tongue, which is the ability to express and

interpret concepts, thoughts, feelings, facts and opinions in both oral and written
form (listening, speaking, reading and writing) and to interact linguistically in an
appropriate and creative way in a full range of societal and cultural contexts.

Communication in foreign languages, which

involves, in addition to the main skill dimensions
of communication in the mother tongue,
mediation and intercultural understanding. The
level of proficiency depends on several factors and
the capacity for listening, speaking, reading and
writing.

Mathematical competence and basic competences in science and

technology. Mathematical competence is the ability to develop and apply
mathematical thinking in order to solve a range of problems in everyday situations,
with the emphasis being placed on process, activity and knowledge. Basic
competences in science and technology refer to the mastery, use and application of
knowledge and methodologies that explain the natural world. These involve an
understanding of the changes caused by human activity and the responsibility of
each individual as a citizen.

Digital competence involves the confident and

critical use of information society technology
(IST) and thus basic skills in information and
communication technology (ICT).

Learning to learn is related to learning, the ability to pursue and organize one's
own learning, either individually or in groups, in accordance with one's own needs,
and awareness of methods and opportunities.

Social and civic competences. Social competence refers to personal,

interpersonal and intercultural competence and all forms of behaviour that equip
individuals to participate in an effective and constructive way in social and working
life. It is linked to personal and social well-being. An understanding of codes of

UNIT 3 – Key ideas

 ICT Tools Applied to the Learning of English Language

conduct and customs in the different environments in which individuals operate is

essential. Civic competence, and particularly knowledge of social and political
concepts and structures (democracy, justice, equality, citizenship and civil rights),
equips individuals to engage in active and democratic participation.

Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship is the ability to turn ideas into

action. It involves creativity, innovation and risk-taking, as well as the ability to
plan and manage projects in order to achieve objectives. The individual is aware of
the context of his/her work and is able to seize opportunities that arise. It is the
foundation for acquiring more specific skills and knowledge needed by those
establishing or contributing to social or commercial activity. This should include
awareness of ethical values and promote good governance.

Cultural awareness and expression, which involves appreciation of the

importance of the creative expression of ideas, experiences and emotions in a range
of media (music, performing arts, literature and the visual arts).

A more comprehensive definition for digital literacy has been proposed by Martin
(2005), when working on the European research project DigEuLit:
http://www.jelit.org/

Martin and his colleagues remarked that digital literacy includes several key elements:

1 Being able to carry out successful digital actions embedded within life
situations, which may include work, learning, leisure, and other aspects of
everyday life.
2 To vary according to a subject’s particular life situation, and to be an ongoing
lifelong process, developing as the individual’s life situation evolves.
3 To be broader than ICT literacy and to include elements drawn from several
related “literacies”, such as information literacy, media literacy and
visual literacy.
4 To involve acquiring and using knowledge, techniques, attitudes and
personal qualities, and to include the ability to plan, execute and evaluate
digital actions in the solution of life tasks, and the ability to reflect on one’s own
digital literacy development.

UNIT 3 – Key ideas

 ICT Tools Applied to the Learning of English Language

Either definition we may take as more appropriate, we see the integration of different
skills in our competence as teachers. As we have already said in previous points, ICT
provides endless resources and tools to enhance our teaching experience, therefore, we
need to have the knowledge and abilities to be able to distinguish and choose when to
apply ICT in our practice and when those tools and resources are
appropriate for our students and for our lessons.

3.3. Our role

We, as teachers, are the catalysts of information and resources. Depending on our
organizational skills, IT skills and methodological approach, our students would be as a
natural way to incorporate and integrate IT tools in our classroom. At this point, it is
important to remember that teacher and technology are not interchangeable as
Pete Sharma affirms. We are all aware that we cannot perform tasks the computer does
and vice versa, i.e., we play different roles in the teaching experience.

The teacher is the one who assesses the needs

analysis of the students. He/She tests the learners to
know exactly the level of knowledge they have
about a language. It is true that it may be helped
by some kind of technology but it is not replaced.

Once the teacher has checked the tests and knows the level of proficiency of the
students, the syllabus is created. This is done again by the teacher, possibly with the
help of a word processor but the decisions about what topics to tackle in
conversation, which grammar points should be covered and what materials should be
used during the classroom is taken by the teacher.

The next step is the lesson plan which, once again is carried out by the teacher.
Technology cannot decide how long, how many exercises the learner would do
according to the level. It is true that the introduction of CD-ROM this factor could be
more or less controlled by technology since there are some programs who provides an
allotted time to perform some tasks measuring not only the knowledge of the student
but also the level of skills the students possess to perform the tasks. However, there
some unpredictable items in language learning technology cannot solve.

UNIT 3 – Key ideas

 ICT Tools Applied to the Learning of English Language

Technology is available at all times, no matter where you are and how distance you are
from home or your computer. New technology devices allow learners to be connected
at all time with tasks adapted to the type of technology they may have. Moreover, it
provides lots of guided practice outside the classroom setting and learner becomes
more autonomous, as we have said several times in this unit.

Let´s consider some tips for the teachers:

Check in advance what you are going to do. If you are

visiting websites, make sure they are alive and running.
BE READY AND Make sure the technology you are going to use is ready,
PREPARED working and accessible and appropriate for your students.
Organized your lessons according to the allotted time you
have.

Connection may fall down when many people at the same

BE PATIENT: time are trying to have access to the same web. Sometimes a
CD-ROM may present a scratch and it is not useful.

There are thousands of resources. Are they useful for your

BE CRITICAL students? Are they complementary to what they are
learning? Is it significant to their learning?

In conclusion, we must ensure, as Sharma says, that our teaching practice is driven by
pedagogy and not by the amount of IT tools we use. Technology is a tool to enhance
and complement our teaching and our methodology.

First of all, you need to plan your lessons with ICT carefully.

It may happen that you are lucky and have a computer and/or
IWB in your classroom so you can use them as much as you can;
or you have a computer lab in your center. In that case, the first
thing you need to do is booking the room and/or introducing a
booking system with your colleagues so you all may be well-
organized and know when it is in use and by whom.

UNIT 3 – Key ideas

 ICT Tools Applied to the Learning of English Language

Apart from this, you’ll only need an Internet connection to be able to download
material and a printer to print out whatever you find interesting for your students’
work.

3.4. Classroom management issues

It’s impossible to predict every situation which covers a question of ‘classroom

management’, but there are ‘dos and don’ts’ that can help to avoid some risks:

Classroom management issues

Know your students

Know your limitations

Play to the strengths to your class

Play resources and access to ICT

Make your expectations clear

Get to know the Internet

UNIT 3 – Key ideas

 ICT Tools Applied to the Learning of English Language

In Depth

Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning,

Teaching, Assessment (CEFR)

Read this extract from the Spanish version, available in the Centro Virtual Cervantes’
web site.

“[…] El Marco Común europeo de referencia para las lenguas: aprendizaje,

enseñanza, evaluación es, pues, un documento cuyo fin es proporcionar una base
común para la elaboración de programas de lenguas, orientaciones curriculares,
exámenes, manuales y materiales de enseñanza en Europa […]”

The article is in the virtual classroom or in the following link:

http://cvc.cervantes.es/ensenanza/biblioteca_ele/marco/

The original English version is available in the Council of Europe’s web site.

The article is in the virtual classroom or in the following link:

https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages

UNIT 3 – In Depth
 ICT Tools Applied to the Learning of English Language

Digital competence for lifelong learning

Authors: Kirsti Ala-Mutka, Yves Punieand Christine Redecker

This policy brief has been prepared by the Institute for Prospective Technological
Studies (IPTS)1 as part of an ongoing collaboration between DG Education and Culture,
Directorate A (Lifelong Learning: horizontal Lisbon policy issues and international
affairs), in particular Unit A2 (Lifelong learning: innovation and creativity). Under this
collaboration, IPTS will contribute to the strategic policy work of DG EAC, by
conducting focused techno-economic research and prospective analyses on the use of
ICT for creativity, innovation and lifelong learning for all.

Published by the Office for Official Publications of the European Communities.

Luxembourg (2008).

http://ftp.jrc.es/EURdoc/JRC48708.TN.pdf

Pete Sharma Associates

PSA is an educational consultancy and training organization for language teachers. PSA
runs courses worldwide for teachers of English as a Foreign Language, teacher trainers
and academic managers on how to successfully integrate educational technology into
their language courses.

http://www.psa.eu.com/

UNIT 3 – In Depth
 ICT Tools Applied to the Learning of English Language

Test

1. What Spanish law is important because it integrates European key competences in

the curriculum?
A. Order 2/2006, 3rd May in Education
B. Decreto 17/2008, de 6 de marzo
C. Decreto 17/2008, de 6 de marzo

2. Key competences are a combination of:

A. Knowledge, skills and attitudes.
B. Maths, language skills and ICT tools.
C. On line and off-line tools.

3. Communication in foreign languages involves mediation and intercultural

understanding.
A. False.
B. True.

4. Digital competence involves:

A. The confident and critical use of information society technology (IST)
B. Basic skills in information and communication technology (ICT).
C. Both.

5. Our teaching practice is driven by ….... and not by the amount of IT tools we use:
A. Resources
B. Imagination
C. Pedagogy

UNIT 3 – Test