NA In Language Teaching Essay

Creating lessons that students actually want to participate in is always considered at planning. While there are standards that must be taught and best practices for teaching these standards, engagement must also be addressed to complete the learning package. Silver and Perini believe that “if we do not design lessons and units that will strengthen students commitment to learn, then we cannot expect them to take an active or in-depth approach to learning” (2010). With this in mind, differentiating lessons according to students’ interest helps ensure that students are motivated and are able to gain deeper level understanding. When students are interested in what they are learning, they are able to bring passion to their work.

Motivation is essential to encourage students to go beyond simple declarative knowledge. If one of the goals of education is to develop higher order thinking, educators must engage students minds through multiple and challenging opportunities that encourage deeper understanding of curricular content (Blumenfield 1991). One way to foster this deeper understanding is to integrate motivational strategies into instructional design. The six C�s of motivation (Turner 1995) are strategies to enhance students� motivation to learn. They are:

There have been many policies and legal battles when it comes to English Language Learners. For every policy, then will inevitably be a case to challenge it, as it is difficult to define what is truly equitable for every ELL student. Programs for English Language Learners (ELLs) have struggled to get the needed recognition and support from school district offices of our public schools. One piece of legislation that was passed to help end the inequality of education for these students was the Equal Education Opportunity Act or EEOA. The EEOA mandated that all students that are identified as an English Language Learner are to receive individual English only instruction. This is a good start to offering the right kind of instruction that is needed for students who are struggling to learn a second language.

Deliberate and focused instructional design requires us as teachers and curriculum writers to make an important shift in our thinking about the nature of our job. The shift involves thinking a great deal, first, about the specific learnings sought, and the evidence of such learnings, before thinking about what we, as the teacher, will do or provide in teaching and learning activities. Though considerations about what to teach and how to teach it may dominate our thinking as a matter of habit, the challenge is to focus first on the desired learnings from which appropriate teaching will logically follow.

‘The aim of English in Years K–10 is to enable students to understand and use language effectively, appreciate, reflect on and enjoy the English language and to make meaning in ways that are imaginative, creative, interpretive, critical and powerful.’ (NSW Syllabus., 2012, p. 12). Educating students to become

Determining what motivates individual students and engages them in a classroom, is as essential as it is challenging. In a classroom setting, faculty must know how to use motivation and engagement together to enhance students’ learning outcomes (Woolfolk & Margetts, 2007). Although student engagement is seen as a necessary element for learning, it needs the support of motivation to serve as a prerequisite. Furthermore, motivation sets the foundation for implementing learner-centered approaches to learning. Unfortunately today’s teachers are confronted by larger class sizes, fast-paced academic calendars, and standardized assessments that force them to lump all students together (Toshalis & Michael, 2012).

As a lifelong learner, it is important to recognize one’s unique needs in order to continuously gain and create new knowledge. Self-directed learning (SDL) was found to be the basis for those who identify with being a lifelong learner (Dynan, Cate, & Rhee, 2008). Therefore, self-directed learners tend to be motivated by intrinsic incentives to successfully acquire new skills and qualities for personal and professional growth (Hiemstra, 1994; Patterson, Crooks, & Lunyl-Child, 2002). Self-directed learning is a process in which the individual determines their path in recognizing and implementing learning strategies for their needs (as cited in Dynan et al., 2008). As a self-directed learner, one has the ability to strengthen the desire to achieve and accomplish goals (Hiestra, 1994). Previous literature identified self-directed learners as the most effective learners when he or she has identified and chose their preferred learning styles. For this reason, teachers in secondary schools introduce and model various learning strategies to provide students with the foundation for future use. With this SDL skill, students should determine useful resources and tools, identify required modifications for unique needs, and address any questions (Dynan et al., 2008). This provides students with the ability to make learning meaningful and easier to retain (Dynan et al., 2008).

In respect of the other kinds of learning , second language acquisition (SLA) does not take place in a gap. When it comes to SLA in general and English as a second language (ESL) specifically , several factors are involved. One of which is motivation , According to Melendy, 2008, From the Latin root Movere , Motivation refers to a system that begins with a need and leads to a behavior which moves an individual through achieving a goal . The most complicated and difficult task which involves a multiplicity of psycho-sociological and linguistic factors is motivating students in the English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom, ( Dornyei, 1998; 2010a); Although, most English teachers will assert to the crucial role motivation plays in the realm of teaching and learning process. Many SLA researchers hold this view point that studying motivation is prominent, owing to they believed learners even those with the most abilities can not achieve long-term goals without sufficient motivation. In other words, good instruction and appropriate curriculum might not be enough to guarantee success.

Therefore, I strive to instill the love of learning and share my own enthusiasm for learning with my students. I want my students to become active participants in their own learning and cultivate the habit of critical inquiry and analytical thinking. From cognitive strategies to metacognitive strategies, I expose my students to tools and strategies to become autonomous learners. Every semester my ultimate teaching goal is to orchestrate a class that is vibrant, active community of self-motivated, life-long learners who are relentlessly fascinated and curious about language, culture and the world around

As an educator, I firmly believe that all students deserve the right to learn to their highest potential. Students come to us from a wide range of ethnic, socioeconomic, and cultural backgrounds which creates a very diverse classroom full of students. Therefore, every student is unique in his or her own respective way. Working with and learning about each student’s life is not only enjoyable, but also helps me become the best teacher I possibly can be for every student. I feel that each student’s individual learning needs should be addressed. Meeting each students needs is imperative to ensure they desire the ability to carry knowledge with them and build upon it for the rest of their lives.

A critical evaluation of Guilloteaux and Dörnyei (2008). Motivating Language Learners: A Classroom Oriented Investigation of the Effects of Motivational Strategies on Student Motivation, by Daniel Dusza.

‘High quality’ learning outcomes should result from the interplay between student’s learning efforts, the curricula, and the teaching methods used (Leonard and Penick, 2000) Curriculum design is an overwhelming endeavor. Never the less it is necessary in order to be an effective teacher. An effective teacher must be diligent in the creation of her units and lessons. Diligence as we create learning units will ensure student achievement at all times. Students’ readiness, interests, and learning profile most be at the center of any lesson set up. This should drive a teacher’s curriculum design. During this session, I have evolved in many aspects of teaching. Also, I have been able to pin point certain areas that need to be address.

For example, motivated learners often make a determined effort to really understand classroom material—to learn it for themselves meaningfully so that they are able to use it in their own lives.

Providing graded content suitable for the learners’ level and a full syllabus that covers language skills and language systems

Bell and Gower (as cited in Tomlinson, 2013, p.97) clearly stated that they greatly desired engaging content for their writing. According to Mishan and Timmis (2015, p.10), motivation is one of the most important aspects for language learning success so that it could be involved in language learning materials. The aspects of affective and cognitive areas might be concerned in motivation (ibid, p.11). In addition, affective and cognitive engagement could be promoted for second language acquisition (Tomlinson, 2013, p.99). It is said that affective engagement can help learners to gain more communicative competence than those normal materials (Tomlinson, 2013, p.12). Motivation could be equal with intrinsic interest and is an essential factor for language acquisition (Mishan and Timmis, 2015, p.11). Jalongo (as cited in Tomlinson, 2013, p.64) presented, “motivation and interest have a profound influence on academic achievement”. Moreover, Arnold and Brown (as cited as Mishan and Timmis, 2015, p.12) stated, affective factors in language learning can refer to ‘aspects of emotion, feeling mood or attitude which condition behaviour’. Positive emotions, such as happy, joy and excited may develop students’ confidence and self-esteem for language acquisition.