Our discussion revealed that between us we have experienced different types of methodology as language learners, and we have identified some differences along with many similarities.
The three most noticeable areas of difference…
One of the key areas that differed between us was the role of L2 in teaching and learning materials. For instance, in Pakistan many textbooks are in English, in Taiwan this is partially the case and in other countries the textbooks are only in L1. We also noticed that the use of error correction had differing effects on students in terms of motivation. Strict error correction sometimes makes the student work hard to achieve a high grade, and sometimes it has the opposite effect of disengaging the student. The reason for student motivation is another difference that emerged from our discussions. In some of our experience, during our education we were motivated by achieving highly at the end of course test; this was our goal. For others, it was important that the teacher provided interesting stimulus.
Key similarities…
We found many similarities between our experiences. Most of us felt that there was a reliance on the textbooks, and that there was more t-s interaction than s-s interaction. As students, we rarely got the opportunity to try to speak L2 freely to improve fluency. We all agreed that our learning experience activities had been teacher led. Another common feature was that we all had experienced some aspects of different methodologies during our education.
And another thing…
A conclusion which we all concurred on was the impact of the teacher on our learning experience. The teacher can select the methods and content that will motivate and interest the students. Their attitude is important too, in terms of balancing a strict and sensitive approach.
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