No school, No Future, No English

[Harry Smith]

Originally Posted by huda23

Thank you for saying this , i'm proud of that .so , let's begin the discussion and try to answer the questions that we present concerning this issue , but where are the other members of the forum ? , i think this topic is very important and they didn't give it much concern , I don't know why? , I hope that they will participate more in this thread .

Thanks very much, Huda! You are very kind. But don't worry! I have started all my threads like this. At first they read, then think for a while. And then they share their ideas with other members of the forum. I think if we are so indifferent to school we'll be very indifferent to our future let alone English.

[Harry Smith]

Let's vote! Who votes for English language schools in the bright future?

[sallom]

hi harry
i think this is an important issue to be tackled.first i think most of us are missing the days of the school specially the high school.then,regarding the computers in schools i do agree they are very important nowdays but as huda said they will limit the role of the teachers.but what astonished me really is that the former generation"my father's for example" is more educated and civilized although they did not have or use computers in their schools,does any one agree with me?

thanks

[Harry Smith]

Originally Posted by sallom

hi harry
i think this is an important issue to be tackled.first i think most of us are missing the days of the school specially the high school.then,regarding the computers in schools i do agree they are very important nowdays but as huda said they will limit the role of the teachers.but what astonished me really is that the former generation"my father's for example" is more educated and civilized although they did not have or use computers in their schools,does any one agree with me?

thanks

Hi, Sallom!
Today there are so many entertainments that school students have very little time for studies. Maybe that's why our former generation was more educated. Today young people make plenty of mistakes while writing and speaking as well. Only computers can't solve the problems we have faced.
We need serious changes in teaching. The process of teaching must be more interesting. The best teachers have left schools. We have to bring them back to school. Any ideas?

[SSteffin]

In the United States, traditional public education is largely a failure. The output (high school graduates) is, in far too many cases, functionally illiterate.

The causes for this are many - poorly trained teachers, clasrooms crowded with the children of illegal immigrants, deteriorating physical plant and infrastructure, drugs and violence, a high prevalence of cheating and plagarism and other problems beyond listing in this brief comment.

Yet, online tutoring, and self-mediated, carefuly designed computer based instruction, along with the privatization of education hold much potential for ending this downward spiral in the learning process.

All of these tools change the role of the classroom teacher from that of "Information Broadcaster," to one of being a "Learning Manager," who works with students on a one-on-one basis.

[Harry Smith]

Originally Posted by SSteffin

In the United States, traditional public education is largely a failure. The output (high school graduates) is, in far too many cases, functionally illiterate.

The causes for this are many - poorly trained teachers, clasrooms crowded with the children of illegal immigrants, deteriorating physical plant and infrastructure, drugs and violence, a high prevalence of cheating and plagarism and other problems beyond listing in this brief comment.

Yet, online tutoring, and self-mediated, carefuly designed computer based instruction, along with the privatization of education hold much potential for ending this downward spiral in the learning process.

All of these tools change the role of the classroom teacher from that of "Information Broadcaster," to one of being a "Learning Manager," who works with students on a one-on-one basis.

An intersting point of view about the role of the teacher in future. Can you tell me what the teacher's average salary is in the USA?

[Mad-ox]

Originally Posted by Harry Smith

"Nowadays schools are very boring, I like staying at home and playing computer games" I remembered one of the sixth-formers words when I sat down at my desk to finish the letter to a friend of mine.
Suddenly an idea came to my mind. What if I start a thread in the forum about school in general and particularly teaching English in the school of the future.
1. How do you think school will be like in the future?
2. Do you think on-line English schools will become more popular?
3. Is it real to see computers in the classrooms instead of teachers?
The list of the questions can be very long. I'd like you to write your own questions and then we could discuss the most important ones. I hope the issue is urgent. I look forward to hearing your ideas soon.

Hi Harry
In my opinion, schools will be the same. A computer can never replace a teacher. A teacher must be good not only in the domain he/she teaches but he/she must be a good psychologist and philosophist, too. We do not have to forget that having knowledge does not necessery mean that we are a good teacher. ( maybe we should define what we understand by a good teacher ) And a computer has only ''Knowledge''!! This knowledge must be provided by someone ( by a teacher ). A computer can not see ( analyse) the state or the mood of learners. ( which is very important!!!) The learners must have eye contact with the teachers and communicate with them. And the teachers must correct the learners. You can not communicate with your computer!!! Communication is the very bases of humanity. So it's wrong to say that computers will ever replace teachers. I do not want to say that computers are useless. A computer must be used only as a virtual library where you van find almost everything in hand. Having a computer we do not have to go to the library, but a computer can not replace man/woman!!! A computer can not analyse, a computer can not compare, a computer can not think!!!! Teaching must be done with passion and love which the computer does not have. We are what we think. We are what we go for. We are what we do. And I emphasize that we do not want to be computers but beings who has feelings and life.


PS Yes school, yes future, yes English(or any other language)

have a nive day,
Madox

[Harry Smith]

Originally Posted by Mad-ox

Hi Harry
In my opinion, schools will be the same. A computer can never replace a teacher. A teacher must be good not only in the domain he/she teaches but he/she must be a good psychologist and philosophist, too. We do not have to forget that having knowledge does not necessery mean that we are a good teacher. ( maybe we should define what we understand by a good teacher ) And a computer has only ''Knowledge''!! This knowledge must be provided by someone ( by a teacher ). A computer can not see ( analyse) the state or the mood of learners. ( which is very important!!!) The learners must have eye contact with the teachers and communicate with them. And the teachers must correct the learners. You can not communicate with your computer!!! Communication is the very bases of humanity. So it's wrong to say that computers will ever replace teachers. I do not want to say that computers are useless. A computer must be used only as a virtual library where you van find almost everything in hand. Having a computer we do not have to go to the library, but a computer can not replace man/woman!!! A computer can not analyse, a computer can not compare, a computer can not think!!!! Teaching must be done with passion and love which the computer does not have. We are what we think. We are what we go for. We are what we do. And I emphasize that we do not want to be computers but beings who has feelings and life.


PS Yes school, yes future, yes English(or any other language)

have a nive day,
Madox

Hi, Madox!
Very nice point of view. I really share your opinion on computers. For me computer is an instrument in teachers hand which helps the teacher make the process of teaching easier and more interesting. And of cousre faster.

[Casiopea]

Ok. Well, let's say we start answering some of these wonderful questions? Here's my $0.02.

1. How do you think school will be like in the future?
=> I think there will be a demand for more non-native English teachers and less of a demand for native English teachers. The reason being, the latter are cost effective, not to mention they are able to function more effectively in a bilingual classroom. At present I teach Chinese national IT and science teachers how to facilitate lessons in a bilingual classroom. The Board of Education is preparing to house its schools with nationals. Native English-like pronunciation is no longer a grand concern with English becoming, dare I say, having already become a Lingua Franca. Of the MBA students and corproate trainers I have taught over the years, one thing stays constant. They tell me they can't understand a word their colleagues are saying because everyone seems to have an accent; e.g., Chinese-BrE, Japanese-AmE, German-Australian English, and so on and so on and so on. The days of communication have begun!

2. Do you think on-line English schools will become more popular?
=> Yes, I do. MSNers and the like, all, will soon be audio-video chatting in English. Why not? If you look at what people are doing today in their fee time and at work, they're chatting on-line and messaging by phone. Add sound and picture to on-line chatting and Wow! Even better!

3. Is it real to see computers in the classrooms instead of teachers?
=> On-line courses have virtual classroom; they work; people sign-up. It's convenient. However, North American studies have shown that males don't do as well in virtual classrooms, whereas females excel. It has something, or rather everything to do with varies kinds of competition. Males tend to seek it, generally speaking. Moreover, is this real: how's X gonna meet a nice Y in a virtual classroom?

1- What will be the kind of activities in the classroom? The focus will be on what group work, pair work or will we focus on the individual only?
=> All three, of course. Variety is the spice of life.

2- What will be the relationship between pupils and teachers, will the role of the teacher exclude or there won't be a role at all?
=> We learn through and from experience. Teachers are experienced or, at least, they're supposed to be . It's a reciprocal relationship. The question is, what will a teacher be in the future? Computer programs? Why not? Books did it centuries ago. People who want to learn find a way to do it.

3- How will the input change? Will the contents of curriculum be based only on computers?
=> First, humans write software, even computer generated, artificial intelligence (AI) programmes. At present there are more linguists working in AI than there are working with humans. There's a new breed about the place, IT linguists, and they're more concerned with how to accommodate language usage by navigating around the exceptions to the rules laid down over the centuries. You know the ones that speakers don't seem to care about these days? Those linguists are the true descriptivist and it'll be the results of their labour that will change the computer-based language programmes we know today for the better.

4-Will the blackboard be history and will pupils see it only in museum?
=> I doubt it, but then again, you never know. Recent studies on gestures by math and science teachers have shown that students learn more effectively when teachers gesture while they are speaking; that's using the blackboard and/or the white one too. As for PPTs, powerpoint presentations, which are all the rage right now, they aren't all that effective even with a laser-wand. Think of it this way, when you have difficulty explaining something to some one, what's the first thing you look for? A pen and a piece of paper, right? Ah, the board with stay, but hopefully someone will invent better writing tools. Those markers! That chalk! Not good for your health.

All the best.

[Mad-ox]

Originally Posted by Casiopea

4-Will the blackboard be history and will pupils see it only in museum?
=> I doubt it, but then again, you never know. Recent studies on gestures by math and science teachers have shown that students learn more effectively when teachers gesture while they are speaking; that's using the blackboard and/or the white one too. As for PPTs, powerpoint presentations, which are all the rage right now, they aren't all that effective even with a laser-wand. Think of it this way, when you have difficulty explaining something to some one, what's the first thing you look for? A pen and a piece of paper, right? Ah, the board with stay, but hopefully someone will invent better writing tools. Those markers! That chalk! Not good for your health.

All the best.

Little correction to the string you posted in: Blackboard is already a history and soon students will be able to see it in museums!!!!! Blackboard has been replaced by Whiteboard on which the students write not with chalks but with markers. At least in my country many blackboards have been replaced by these whiteboards. These whiteboards are much more practical as we do not get dirty with that unhealthy chalks, and easier to clean it.

have a nice day,
Madox