Description
Since the outbreak of Covid-19, the delivery of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) programmes has seen a major shift of focus from direct instruction to online, blended and hybrid modes. Even before the pandemic, a substantial amount of attention was dedicated to these types of instruction. Now, perhaps more so than before, they are being adopted by language centres, so it is not surprising that research into related e-learning and e-teaching methods, approaches and tools are being prioritised. Considering this, certain questions have arisen. What are the implications for face-to-face teaching and its pedagogies? Are these traditional practices destined to be left behind or, maybe, even forgotten?Amid this quiet upheaval, some practitioners, like myself, have returned to classroom teaching. The simple acts of being able to hand out paper copies, put up images on the wall, write on a physical whiteboard and carry out mingling activities are reminders of what both my students and I have missed. With the spectre of a second wave of the virus threatening to send us all back online, I try to make the most of my situation. Indeed, this is why I dusted off my sets of Cuisenaire rods and began utilising them in a range of activities, including: anecdote telling (speaking), paragraph analysis (writing) and types of sentences (grammar). The students’ keen interaction with the rods brought life and creativity into the classroom, captivating their imagination. I was pleasantly reminded of the effectiveness of this teaching and learning resource and its validity when employing The Silent Way approach in the EAP teaching setting.
| Period | 8 Apr 2021 |
|---|---|
| Event title | BALEAP 2021 |
| Event type | Conference |
| Location | Glasgow, United KingdomShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | International |