English Only Classroom in EFL Context: A Necessity or a Burden (Published)
In many parts of the world it is widely accepted that in the language classrooms the use of L1 should be minimal, if not totally prohibited. While such practice is strongly advocated by a number of educationists and practitioners, there are others who think that a pragmatic use of L1 is not only unavoidable but also quite beneficial. Besides, in EFL context, the justification of English only classroom is questionable on practical grounds as the classrooms mostly consist of students and teachers who share the same L1, and show a poor knowledge of their L2, as in the context of the English classrooms of Bangladesh. This paper thus investigates the positive and negative effects of L1 usage in the language classroom and suggests the adoption of an appropriate stand in the EFL classrooms of Bangladesh.
Keywords: Classroom, EFL Context, English-Only, Practical Constraints, Principled Usage of l1
The Use of ICT to Enhance University Education in Nigeria. (Published)
Today, information and communication technology (ICT) is very important in the learning and teaching process at all levels of education. However, in Nigeria the use of ICT is still at its infancy. If the educational system in Nigeria is to match with global requirements, there is need to incorporate the use of ICT that facilitates knowledge acquisition within and beyond the classroom. This paper examines the gap and challenges facing the use of ICT in university education in Nigeria. The study is a descriptive survey that assessed five universities for the most urgent solution. The population of the study was 120 respondents and this is made up of university lecturers and the students. Findings revealed that there is a gap between the university teachers and students and ICT usage in classrooms and many university lecturers and students have to go to commercial cyber cafés in town before they have access to a computer that is internet connected, teachers are faced with some challenges and barriers of availability of facilities which prevent them to employ ICT in the classroom, the solutions proffered include funding, provision of facilities and technical expertise in Nigeria universities.
Keywords: Classroom, Education System, ICT, Nigeria, University Education, Use, gap
Evaluating Teachers’ Professional Development for ICT Use: Towards Innovative Classroom Practices (Published)
This paper describes an evaluation study designed to investigate the impact of an ICT-Instructional digital innovation in teaching Mathematics, English and Integrated Science subjects from the teacher capacity building professional development programme to classroom implementation at senior high school levels in Ghana. Interviews and survey data were used for data collection following a week professional development programme on the instructional digital learning training. The study demonstrated that the teachers increased in ICT proficiencies but this was limited to their own professional development and not so much of classroom implementation of ICT which results when transfer of learning takes place from training to practice. The study reported that teachers faced a complex mix of factors that when combined, contributed to challenges in transferring the ideas gained in the training programme to the classroom situation. It was evident from the findings that more systematic efforts are needed at the school levels and at the level of stakeholders who implement in-service teachers’ professional development programmes to move the goal of transforming teaching and learning through ICT-based innovations. Based on the outcomes, the study discussed recommendations to help smoothen the transition from teacher professional development programmes to actual classroom implementations in Ghanaian senior high schools and such similar contexts.
Keywords: Classroom, Developmenr ICT, Digital Innovation, English, Ghana, Integrated Science, Mathematics, Teacher
MODERN TRENDS IN THE USE OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM (Published)
Educational technology as a term and as a field of specialization is considered to be a relatively new field in education. Based on this, the concept sounds new to a lot of people including a good number of teachers and learners. It is yet to be well rooted in the Nigerian educational system. However, it should be noted that its newness is in terms of terminology, in the redefinition of concepts, in the realignment of child learning psychology with behavioural oriented classroom activities and in the matching together of curriculum and human resources. It is important to note that elements of Educational Technology have always been present in educational practices in the Nigerian schools which brought about gradual changes in the use of educational technology in the classroom. This paper therefore examines the application of educational technology to teaching and learning in the classroom and educational technology as a solution to the problem of curriculum practices in the Nigerian education system. Some generalizations on the effective use of educational technology in the classroom settings, conclusion and recommendations were made
Keywords: Classroom, Educational Technology