IT and the Victorian Learning Standards

In no way do I have to spin for you a fake little fairytale in this post.
For my task is to convince you that  ICT in the ESL classroom facilitates a 'rich and flexible learner-centered environment'. An environment where students can listen from their classroom chair to a tour guide from Alice Springs speak English, an environment where they can follow English instructions from a Hollywood movie editor without the long-haul flight, an environment where the students can educate their peers using a funky powerpoint show, without the education degree.

And in convincing you of the above, I don’t need to lie.
Students can take risks, give everything a go, and achieve that exciting moment of understanding, all because of the flexibility and richness that ICT resources provide.

This stuff just wasn’t around in my day – (pardon the annoying expression, I’m just being dramatic) - and I have not been out of school for a great amount of time. The ICT world has boomed remarkably in just a few short years. I did not have the hundreds of educational videos and materials at my easy disposal - in terms of access to them and knowledge of them -  when I was learning languages at school. Perhaps even if we did have all the videos and materials in hard copy, it would not have been as fun as jumping on the net. As a reasonably motivated language learner, I was not a student to need a large amount of stimulation to push myself to work hard. I cannot rely on all of my students being like that.

The net makes language learning cool!

What a nerdy thing to say. 

Nevertheless, as noted by Narbutas (2010), ‘the emergence of new teaching and learning modalities require[s] radical pedagogical changes (pg. 66). This may be just a little bit intimidating for many teachers, traditional or otherwise, in our schools. It may mean that the teacher is no longer the maker and breaker of every detail in a lesson. It may mean that students can self-direct more of their knowledge and understanding attainment. It may mean that some teachers will have to step back,  take more of a 'planner and facilitator' role, once again trust that students CAN, and allow the magic to unfold.

In a study by Narbutas (2010), first and second year potential ESL students were questioned as to their priorities for learning English and as to what ways  they thought they would most use English. The use of email and the internet was the third most common reason, demonstrating an awareness amoung these students of the position that the internet now retains in our lives. There was also a general positiveness towards ICT use in ESL education from the interviewees (pg. 70).

My recent placement in an ESL school was a wonderful experience, full of purpose and observable improvement and achievement from the students each day. So much of this was possible due to the opportunities that different technologies afforded us as teachers and learners. Within this environment I, as a teacher, looked to the Victorian Essential Learning Standards [VELS] (2009) for guidance regarding the level of my students and what was important for them to achieve. VELS highlights the four dimensions for ESL education; speaking, listening, reading and writing. Within each of these, it is stated that texts be used for understanding and creating.  Additionally, the Australian Language Level [ALL] Guidelines (1988) observe that students learn languages best when there is, among other things, the use of authentic tasks and texts and a communicative approach to teaching (pg. 18), an opinion shared by Feez (1999). 

And hence the joy of the internet age in relation to teaching and learning a language. The web is full of authentic texts and varied resources for every year level that serve every purpose. There is a fountain of pictures, audio files, videos, interactive games, information hubs, translators and language forums where you can talk to a nice little lady in England who will never meet about how to say something in English that you are struggling to work out.

Nevertheless , for ESL students it is not always as simple as logging on and having the world open itself up to them. As Narbutas (2010) observes, difficulty may arise in accessing many resources because of the linguistic difficulty. This is where the teacher has an important part to play. ICT in the classroom does not necessarily mean that the students can go off on their own. The teacher needs to facilitate and guide their learners. ESL teachers may need to choose certain sites for use, adapt and create materials that are best, and constantly monitor the progress and actions of their students when on the internet.

Nonetheless, ICT within the ESL classroom cannot possibly be thought of as a burden for teachers. The opportunities are just too great!

Chao!

Department of Education and Early Childhood Development [DEECD]. (2009). ESL developmental continuum. Retrieved from http://www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/teachingresources/esl/secondary.htm

Department of Education and Early Childhood Development [DEECD]. (2010). ICT domain. Retrieved from http://www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/teachingresources/ict/default.htm

Feez, T. (1999, July). Text-based syllabus design. TESOL in Context. 9(1), 11-14.

 Narbutas, V. (2010). Teaching of English as a second language in ICT-based learning settings. Lithuania: KTU Panevezys Institute.

Scarino, A., Vale, D., McKay, P., & Clarke, J. (1988). The Australian language levels (ALL) guidelines. Canberra: Curriculum Development Centre.