Reshaping the English language classroom

1. Reshaping the English
Language Classroom
Cinthia Bravo Rivera
MA in TESOL
Teacher of English
English – Spanish Translator
Universidad Andrés Bello-Concepción

2. Summary
• Introduction
Context
• Reseach Description: Methodology
• Results and Discussion
• Conclusions

3. Context
• 2 districs
• Public technical high schools
• Enrollment: Low-income families
• Previous study: Students do not
master English at required level
• 48% employers: essential skill (British
Council. 2015)
• 82% non-learners consider that learn
English would improve their
employment prospects (British Council. 2015)

4. Finish High
School
Demonstrate
English
Skills
Better job
prospects
Better
academic
opportunities
Standardized
Test
(influence)
Objective

5. Problem Statement

6. National Curriculum
40% 10%
40%
10%

7. Classroom teaching approaches: subject +verb+complement
Real life experiences = Meaningful learning experinces
Canale and Swain (1980): Test the ability to use language in a
communicative situation
CONES (2012): Continuous analysis of educational process:
environmental factors
Emphasis on assessment: school preassure (Elacqua &Alves, 2014)

8. Teacher expectations: narrow the curriculum (Page,
Widdowson)
Shift from a focus on the students’ needs to the needs
of schools evaluation and accountability (Polesel,
Dulfer & Tunbull, 2012)
Parents support and opinions: SIMCE and PSU
English: factor of social mobility/ Standardized test:
socio-cultural disadvantage
Standardized Test: reproduces social segmentation,
avoid social mobility
English: tool of social control / Standardized Test: Filter
among social classes

9. Methodology
• Mixed-method approach
• Qualitative data : semi structured interviews to school
teachers
• Quantitative evidence: the surveys applied to students
Sampling and Sample Procedure
68 12th graders took SIMCE Test the year before
Technical schools in both districs
Mon-probability, purposive and convenience Sample
Simple random sample
4 teachers working with 11th graders
Semi-structured interview
non-probability, convenience and purposive sample.

10. Data Collection and Analysis Procedures
Students
• Mixed Survey
• 32 statements: Likert
Scale
• 5 open questions
• Survey Analysis
Teachers
• Semi-structured
interview
• 31 questions
• 35 to 45 minutes.
• Content Analysis

11. Data Collection and Analysis Procedures
1. SIMCE English Test Trustworthiness: It analyzes
structural and content factors and how those
factors might influence students’ answers
affecting final results of the test.
2. Affective Factors influencing SIMCE English Test
results: It is characterized by students’
opportunities to learn and practice the language
under different circumstances. These may define
some strategic points to be considered in
teachers planning.

12. Results and Discussion

13. Simce English Test
• The lack of exposure to the
language.
• Feel afraid of making
mistakes
• English lessons distance.
• Does not respect their
context.
• Not enough to make
decisions
English Language
• Socially accepted as a
passport to new and better
prospects and better salaries.
• Agent in social mobility.
• Difficulties to get closer to the
language and to the culture it
represents.
• Teachers avoid the
production of the language:
due to time constrains and the
number of students in a
classroom.
• Teacher-centered
methodology.

14. Simce English Test English Language
• Importance of feedback
• English lessons are mostly
associated to grammar and
vocabulary and few times to
receptive skills.
• Symbolize for students the
stratification and
discrimination. Tested under
parameters they cannot
achieve, evaluated in skills
that they feel they are not
taught.
• Do not feel confident in their
own capacities, quality of
education they receive and
the expectations they feel
their teachers have on them.
• Environment outside
school does not provide
real opportunities for
them to realize how
relevant English may be
in their future activities.
• There is not space for
English related activities.
• English is not a priority
among parents.

15. Conclusion
Although English is socially accepted as a mean for international
communication and it is translated as better opportunities for
students’ future job and educational prospects, national
standardized evaluation does not represent what students learn
at school and the relation of that learning with the knowledge
they need to acquire and the abilities they need to develop to
make use of English as the key that really opens doors to social
mobility.

16. Broaden students’
view of the world
Enhance their critical
thinking skills and
cultural awareness
Citizens that are able
to learn from other
cultures and value
their own
Future generations
that actively
participate in society
Students with
authentic personal
opinion, able to think
by themselves
Make them
understand that
curiosity and mistakes
are part of every
learning process
Citizens able to build
a proactive, respectful
and fearless society
People that value the
power of
communication
Further Discussion