Teoría del Aprendizaje Social Extrapolada a la Realidad de los Centros Educativos 

Damián Francis 

Hace unos meses sostuve una conversación con una maestra que, en ese momento, estaba recién nombrada por el Ministerio de Educación como la docente de inglés en todos los grados del segundo ciclo de uno de los centros educativos del Distrito Nacional.  La educadora me manifestó el grado de frustración que tenía por no poder desarrollar sus lecciones con eficacia. Me explicó lo difícil que era manejar la disciplina de sus estudiantes, y, También, dijo que el grado de violencia que expresaban los jóvenes era sencillamente inexplicable.

Tomo este caso como un ejemplo de lo que sucede en un gran porcentaje de las escuelas del sector público en Santo Domingo. Los maestros tienen diariamente que lidiar con niños y jóvenes que traen de su entorno familiar y del sector donde viven conductas de violencia y antivalores que imposibilitan el desarrollo de un ambiente adecuado para el aprendizaje. A esto se suma la poca integración que existe entre las personas que tienen, directamente, a cargo la educación de estos niños y adolescentes. Me refiero al equipo de gestión, al departamento de orientación y psicología y los maestros. Con frecuencia se observa en los centros educativos que dichos actores actúan como islas, no como un equipo.

 En las aulas de las diferentes escuelas se ve reflejada lo que son nuestras familias, nuestros sectores, nuestros maestros, nuestros directores y nuestras autoridades. Bandura (1984) dice en su teoría del aprendizaje social que gran parte de nuestra conducta es adquirida a través del aprendizaje por observación.  Según él, aprendemos patrones de conducta al observar a otros y luego imitándolos. Por tal razón, cuando un niño es violento, éste solo está reflejando una conducta aprendida, lo peor de todo es que muchos maestros tratan a los niños con violencia y luego le reprochan cuando estos reaccionan de la misma manera.

 

Considero que para poder enseñar la generación que tenemos debemos ser capaces de entender quiénes son ellos primero.  Es una tarea de los educadores entender que los jóvenes que están en nuestras escuelas son totalmente diferentes a lo que fueron ellos en su tiempo de estudiantes. De acuerdo con Bandura (1984), gran parte de lo que aprendemos está relacionado a lo que estamos expuestos. Por eso, si queremos entender a nuestros estudiantes debemos saber que los patrones de conducta que ellos imitan son el tomar alcohol los fines de semana, mostrarles a las mujeres quien es el más fuerte, resolver los conflictos con agresión, manifestar desacuerdo descalificando a su oponente, consumir drogas, fumar hookah, ganar dinero fácil y mentir para no quedar mal. Una vez se comprenda que éste es el referente que tienen los educandos, entonces vamos a estar en condiciones de ayudarlos.

  Desde mi óptica, la escuela debería ser el mejor referente a ser imitado por los estudiantes. Si sus maestros entienden que su rol es ser líder y modelo, los resultados van a ser diferentes. Los maestros deben entender que, si quieren que sus estudiantes los respeten, ellos deben respetarlos, si aspiran a que los estudiantes sean puntuales, ellos deben serlo y si quieren fomentar la equidad, ellos deben modelarla.    

 

Educación con un Enfoque de Competencias

Damián Francis

             Los expertos en el área de la educación se mantienen en constante búsqueda de métodos y estrategias más eficaces para dar respuesta a las diferentes generaciones, quienes deben ajustarse y preparase para insertarse a un mundo que está en constante cambio. El modelo tradicional de enseñanza nos ha hecho entender que hay que buscar otras opciones para educar a nuestros niños, adolescentes y adultos en los diferentes niveles de educación.  Los resultados de este enfoque han sido desastrosos, ya que el individuo, formado en él, tiene la tradición de aprender de una forma memorística no funcional. En cambio, el nuevo enfoque de educación para el desarrollo de competencias procura que el individuo egresado de los diferentes niveles de educación sea capaz de aplicar todos esos conceptos, procedimientos y valores que se trabajan en la escuela y la universidad de manera eficaz en diferentes contextos.

          Según el nuevo diseño curricular dominicano competencia es: “capacidad para actuar de manera eficaz y autónoma en contextos diversos movilizando de manera integrada conceptos, procedimientos, actitudes y valores.” Es decir que un individuo es competente cuando es capaz de utilizar los conocimientos que ha adquirido en la escuela, en su hogar o en su entorno en diferentes contextos de una manera funcional. De acuerdo al modelo adoptado por el currículo dominicano las competencias pueden ser fundamentales, específicas y laborales.

         Las competencias fundamentales son los ejes centrales que dan el perfil del modelo del actual y futuro  ciudadano que la nación desea. Estas competencias impulsan la formación de personas con una inclinación democrática y reflexiva. Las competencias fundamentales del currículo dominicano son: Competencia Ética y Ciudadana; Competencia Comunicativa; Competencia de Pensamiento Lógico, Crítico y Creativo; Competencia de Resolución de Problemas; Competencia Científica y Tecnológica; Competencia Ambiental y de Salud y Competencia de Desarrollo Personal y Espiritual.

          Con la competencia ética y ciudadana se persigue lograr que los egresados del sistema educativo dominicano sean capaces de valorar su identidad, de reconocer todos los elementos que lo hacen parte de su cultura, promover una cultura democrática donde ponga en práctica la rectitud de sus actos a favor de los intereses que benefician a su nación, modelar y propiciar la equidad, la justicia y la tolerancia. En cuanto a la competencia comunicativa, se requiere que los estudiantes desarrollen la capacidad de utilizar su lengua materna para interactuar de manera eficaz en cualquier contexto, así como también hacerlo en lengua Inglesa y Francesa. Todo estudiante, al egresar del sistema educativo dominicano, debe ser capaz de entender y producir en su lengua.

           Lo que concierne a la competencia de pensamiento lógico, crítico y creativo, el propósito del desarrollo de la misma, es  que la persona sea capaz de pensar de manera lógica al momento que se le presente cualquier situación. Así como también que haga un habito del pensamiento crítico. Esto le permitirá convertirse en un ente generador de cambio.  Otra de las competencias fundamentales del currículo dominicano es la de resolución de problemas, una de las quejas que se ha manifestado del sistema educativo dominicano es la baja competencia que muestran los egresados del nivel secundario  al momento que se les presenta la oportunidad para resolver situaciones. El nuevo enfoque de competencias pretende desarrollar en los estudiantes la capacidad de identificar una situación problemática, documentarse de fuentes de información que les ayude a entender las características del mismo, buscar estrategias idóneas para la posible solución,  evaluar la efectividad de las estrategias y describir el problema al que se ha expuesto el individuo.

          La quinta competencia fundamental del currículo dominicano que deben desarrollar los egresados del sistema educativo dominicano es la científica-tecnológica. El estudiante dominicano debe ser competente en la explicación de ciertos fenómenos y  la utilización de los equipos tecnológicos de la cotidianidad. Con el desarrollo de esta competencia, las personas tienden a tener curiosidad del por qué de ciertos fenómenos naturales y  sociales.

         La sexta competencia es la competencia  ambiental y de la salud. Con ésta se tiene como propósito desarrollar en los estudiantes dominicanos el hábito de cuidar y valorar su cuerpo y su entorno mediante la ingesta de alimentos sanos, la evasión a todo aquello que  pueda perjudicar su higiene física, orgánica y mental.   La séptima y última competencia contenida en el currículo dominicano es la competencia de desarrollo personal y espiritual. Con el desarrollo de esta capacidad, la persona logra valorarse y valorar a otros como persona, reconocen su sexo se aceptan así mismos y aceptan a otros, respetan la diversidad, son tolerantes con los demás, aprenden a tener una sexualidad con responsabilidad, reconocen su dimensión espiritual, reconocen sus errores y aprenden de ellos y se reconocen como individuos.

            En lo que concierne a las competencias especificas, éstas van a depender de cada área del conocimiento,  Si tomamos la competencia comunicativa como ejemplo, encontramos que esta competencia fundamental procura que las personas sean capaces de utilizar su lengua materna y dos lenguas extranjeras para comunicarse de manera eficaz. Las competencias específicas que se desarrollan son: comprensión oral, comprensión escrita, producción oral y producción escrita.

             

            Para que la educación con enfoque de competencia sea posible existen, desde mi óptica, varios aspectos que deben llevarse a cabo: lo primero es que los maestros y maestras deben ser competentes. Desde mi punto de vista, la mejor manera de impactar en los demás es modelando con el ejemplo. Para que los estudiantes dominicanos de los diferentes niveles se sientan motivados en la escuela, sus maestros y maestras deben ser líderes que puedan modelar lo que le enseñan a sus alumnos. Por ejemplo, un maestro de formación humana, debe ser el mejor referente de decencia y tolerancia, un orientador debe dar ejemplo de organización y auto-control, un maestro de español, debe proyectarle a sus estudiantes que hace un buen uso de la lengua tanto de manera oral como escrita y así sucesivamente.

           

               Si un maestro enseña a sus estudiantes a ser competente, esa predica debe verse reflejada en él o ella. Y otro aspecto que ayudaría a ser exitoso, el enfoque adoptado por el estado dominicano, es la utilización de los diferentes medios de comunicación para promover los valores y conocimientos que se enseñan en las escuelas y universidades del país. El trabajo de educar, no sólo es responsabilidad de los maestros y maestras. El impacto de la formación familiar, el entorno y los mensajes que reciben a través  de la radio y la televisión es mucho mayor que el que causan sus maestros.

            

                    Nuestros estudiantes están expuestos a una gran cantidad de mensajes que promueven los valores negativos que se censuran en la escuela. Un buen ejemplo de esto es la lírica de las canciones que más se colocan en la mayoría de las estaciones radiales del país. Mientras en la escuela se promueve la equidad de género, mediante la música se promueve la vejación a la mujer, en la escuela se promueve el trabajo honrado, mediante la música se promueve el dinero fácil.

           

           Considero que para lograr la meta de que nuestros nacionales y ciudadanos sean competentes debe haber coherencia entre lo que se dice y lo que se hace. La clave está en los modelos que los estudiantes tienen. El gran problema de la educación dominicana es la motivación de los estudiantes. Es difícil lograr desarrollar competencias si ellos  no valoran los conceptos,  procedimientos y valores que son importantes para que  puedan abrirse paso en un mundo que cada día les exige más preparación. 

Reaction  to Tanya Trusler's 9 Simple Steps for teaching ed and ing adjectives  

 Damian Francis

                 For many years, English has been the most interesting foreign language for Dominicans. It has become very popular in the Dominican Republic for many reasons: Some people do it because they want to get a better job or because they are on the process of getting a green card, others do it to apply for a scholarship in an American university, and other people for different more reasons. During the learning process, learners tend to get confused with some grammar rules. Most of the time, they are due to their first language interference. One of these grammar aspects that teachers have to deal with is the teaching of ed and ing adjectives. Tanya Trusler suggests us 9 different steps that could be helpful to teach our students how to apply them correctly.  

            According to Trusler, what teachers first have to do is to remind students that there are two adjectives patterns:  one is be + adjective, and the other one is adjective + noun.  The author says that the second step is to say the students that ed and ing adjectives are to describe feelings, and then he or she should give students some examples, such as interesting /interested, boring/bored, and so forth. The step three is to explain to students that adjectives in ing ending are used when the noun is the reason or cause of the feeling, for example the baseball game was exciting. It means that the baseball game is the reason or cause of feeling that way.

            Ms. Trusler says that step 4 is to work on ing adjectives +nouns. She gives some examples to illustrate this pattern. For example: this is a boring movie. This example is used to show that the noun movie is the reason or cause of my feeling of boredom. According to her, the next step is for introducing ing adjectives with the following pattern: be + adjective. In order to teach this aspect, the teacher should say that ed adjectives describe how a person is feeling. Then the teacher gives an example.

           The sixth step is for explaining students the ed adjective. Adj + N pattern. The author says this form is possible, but it is not often used. Steps from 7 to 9 that have to do with the explanation of cause and effect, the exceptions, and the material for advanced students. The teacher only conceptualizes and give examples, but he never   allows students to apply what they had been explained.

           Grammar teaching from my point of view is one of the aspects that has brought a lot of confusion in English as a foreign language teaching. I disagree with the methodology presented by Tanya Trusler because I think that the strategies she suggests could not  be effective in EFl classrooms. Although, I am one of those teachers that strongly believe there is not a unique way for teaching grammar, the one presented by the author would make teachers spend too much time explaining and conceptualizing about grammar aspects that are not necessary.  

             I consider that it is not a good idea to explain that there are two possible patterns, either be + adjective or adjective + noun. To me it is better to do activities in which students discover the grammar structures by themselves. When it comes to the methodology suggested by the author, I think that it could not allow students to have effective English language learning because it is too traditional. From my point of view, it is teacher’s centered. I did not see any suggestion in which students apply the knowledge. I did not see the moment in which the teacher explored students’ knowledge, either.

            I strongly believe that grammar teaching has to be taught in context. It does not matter if it is inductively or deductively, to me both work, it will depend on the student’s age and learning style. From my stand point, it is not a good idea to say that a specific strategy works for every student. Taking into account my teaching experience, what makes student internalize a grammar rule is by exposing them and giving them the opportunity to apply it in context. 

Beverly Ann Chin research about the role of grammar in improving students’ writing     

 Damián Francis

                There are a lot of controversies about what would be the best way to teach grammar in order to improve students writing. According to Beverly Ann Chin, in her research article entitled the role of grammar in improving students’ writing, native speakers acquire their languages automatically, she says that they have capacity to perform the grammar correctly when speaking, but people tend to have difficulties to apply their natural grammar knowledge in writing.

                 The author says that an effective grammar instruction begins with learners’ knowledge about grammar. According to her,  this cognizance could help them as they write. With this methodology students are intended to connect their knowledge of the oral grammar to written language. She supports this idea with some researches. The studies say that the most effective way to improve students’ writing is by teaching them in context, for example, it is better to teach punctuation or any other aspect taking as a model the learners’ own writing.

                  Ms. Chin also says that teachers should prioritize the teaching of those grammar aspects that affect learners’ written communication. She considers that the best strategy to teach grammar is by instructing students during the different phases of the writing process. It means that after students make their first draft they can be Taught some grammatical concepts based on their own production, as well as based on their grammar errors.

          I totally agree with the author when she says that there is a difference between the use of grammar in oral language and in written language. People usually acquire their native language automatically and they become very effective using it orally, but it is not the same when they have the opportunity to show written competence. In order to accomplish this capacity they need instruction and the best way is by using their own writing to teach them.

        To me, Ms. Chin is right when she says that the most effective way to improve students’ use of grammar in writing is by teaching it in context. In my experience as an English language teacher, I have noticed that teaching grammar in context is easier to be understood by students. From my point of view, teachers should not work on more than a grammar aspect in each lesson. For example, if the teacher has as objective to develop the position of adjectives, he or she should just focus on that. It is not a good idea to correct punctuation or any other aspect because learners could get confused.

          I also agree with the author when she says that teachers should prioritize those grammar aspects that affect students’ communication. I strongly believe that teachers have to focus on students’ needs. From my view point, it is a good idea to take advantage of the whole writing process to reinforce the grammar teaching because the more students practice the more they learn. 

     

Reflection on Validity

Damian Francis

In my almost 12 years as an English language teacher, I have had the responsibility to elaborate quite a few tests.  When I first had the opportunity to make exams I did not take too much into account the requirements that I was supposed to consider. I had no idea of what validity was. I only made items from the contents I had already given to my students. I did not take into consideration that a language test needs to be elaborated taking into account some specific aspects. For example, at the moment we make a test, we need to be clear what validity is. To me, a test is valid when it gauges what we intend to test.

 When it comes to language testing, validity is an important element. Before making an exam, test crafters have to analyze the following aspects: first, they have to consider what specific competence they want to test. According to my experience, after reflecting on the students’ exams results, most of the time, one of the reasons why test takers fail a test is because it is not elaborated properly. Sometimes the intention is to assess language proficiency; but the way it is done is by applying a written test, mainly, focused on grammatical aspects. In a situation like this, the outcomes are not reliable because a proficiency test must be applied providing the test takers a context in which he or she uses the language, for example an interview. This way the test taker demonstrates how fluent he or she speaks the language, how knowledgeable of the native-like way of speaking the target language he/she is, and how clear this person is able to communicate the ideas, and feelings.

One more aspect that has to be taken into account is the vocabulary used in written tests. Sometimes teachers teach their lessons based on the vocabulary and situations provided by the text books they use, but at the moment test crafters make the test, they just focus on the learning goals, so it is quite common to see frustrated students that have difficulty for understanding the test, when something like this happens, the test does not have validity.

A third component that has to be taken into consideration is the score. Test crafters, and teachers have to be careful with score. This is an aspect that has to be analyzed by teachers because sometimes some themes are assigned more points than others. Test crafters have to ask themselves what criterion of assigning more point to a certain theme is. In standard tests, such as the TKT,  the themes are of equal value. From my point of view, In a language proficiency test, the most important aspects are the listening comprehension and the speaking ones, but in an accuracy written test the most important aspect is different.

This analysis reminds me when I was an English language student. I used to take two different exams; the first one was the midterm and a final test. One aspect that really caught my eye was that the approach used by the teacher and the one the exams had were totally different. I remember that my teachers did not explain grammar deductively.

 On one hand, they focused on developing communicative competence by giving students significant input. On the other hand, the exams were grammar oriented. Some institutions not even took into consideration testing the listening skills, and many tests had irrelevant content, such as verb conjugations, vocabulary translation, and make sentences commands.

During the process of being involved with this subject oriented in learning how to assess in a professional way, I have reflected on the requirements needed to elaborate a test. In language tests, validity is carried out at the extent a written test result turns out similar to what the test taker is able to perform in everyday situations.

From my point of view, being knowledgeable about test validity is as important as having a good teaching methodology because the assessment purpose is to determine what the language competences are. A test crafter has to be able to make a good diagnostic test. In my experience as a teacher, language trainer and supervisor at the Ministry of Education in Dominican Republic, I have noticed that quite a few teachers have difficulty to elaborate a diagnostic test at the beginning of each and every back to school week. If a teacher is not able to identify the students’ needs properly, so they will not be able to really help them during the process. The application of a valid test allows teachers to make a good planning to satisfy students’ necessities.

Test crafters must have the competence to elaborate a placement test. Considering my teaching and supervising experiences, I have noticed that many people are given a high intermediate level of language proficiency, when they, in fact, are in a basic one. Mistakes like this are due to the validity ignorance of the test crafter. I used to work for a language school that allowed students to take a placement test in order to send them to the level they were supposed to be. I usually had complaints because some students did not belong to the level the test assigned them.

To me, a good placement test must be elaborated taking into account the listening, the speaking, the reading and the writing skills. It also has to be based on the specific competence that beginners, basic, intermediate, high intermediate and advanced students are supposed to own.

When it comes to proficiency test, I think that it would be a good idea to reflect on it. Many language institutions misconceive the term proficiency test, with the placement test, in fact in the application; they get confused with these two different tests. Some language schools think that they give a proficiency test when students take a placement test. But from my point of view, a proficiency test could never be conceived as a long written test based mainly on grammar structure knowledge.

A language proficiency test assesses the language competence of the test taker during performing the language. a person demonstrates how competent he or she is at the moment he/she uses the language. The language proficiency is assessed considering how clear a person communicates the ideas, the knowledge of the target language lexis, the pronunciation, and the usage.

     

         

The Importance of Exposure in Foreign Language Learning

 When it comes to foreign language learning, exposure is one of the most important aspects to take into account. Many people fail in their attempt to learn a foreign language because they see it as a grammar and vocabulary task, but according to Brown (2007), learning a new language means getting adapted to a new culture,  a new way of thinking, feeling and acting. According to Spratt, Pulvverness, and Williams (2008), exposure is the opportunity a learner has to get in contact with the target language without studying.  It could be by listening, reading or by speaking.

Exposure allows FL students to get in contact with good language; it means good pronunciation, syntax, semantic, and the idiomatic expressions used by the natives of the target language. FL learners usually have difficulty in getting rid of negative transfers or interference; this is because of the lack of exposure. Chomsky (1965) said that not necessarily a well-structured sentence makes sense in a language, that is the reason why some language learners can not have an effective communication in their target language.

               

  Bandura (1984) said in his theory of social learning that people generally learn by observing, and imitating the ones around them. This theory is 100% applied in Fl learning. According to Spratt, Pulvverness, and Williams (2008), people always have a reason to communicate; it could be for apologizing, advising, thanking, greeting, agreeing, interrupting, clarifying, disagreeing, expressing obligation, inviting, refusing, etc. With the exposure, the ones who are learning a language get in contact with the way the natives of the target language use it in different contexts.  

        

 Many Fl students would ask how they could get exposure if they are learning how to speak the language in a context where it is basically limited to the classroom.  But if there is motivation, learners have many choices to be exposed to their target language. They can listen to music, watch movies, I usually recommend my English students to watch sitcoms. They can also join language clubs, and by reading newspapers and books written in the target language.

 Motivation and Foreign Language Learning

Damián Francis

 In this day and age, many experts in foreign language teaching say that in order to be successful in learning a foreign language, three aspects have to be taken into account: the first one is motivation, the second exposure and the last one is practice. But what is motivation, and how does it help during the learning process? According to Spratt, Pulverness, and Williams (2008), “motivation is the thoughts and feelings we have which make us want to do something, continue to want to do it and turn our wishes into action.” So it means that motivation is what inspires people to do something in order to accomplish a goal.

There are theories of motivation, some of the most known are the behavioral, the cognitive, and the constructivist. According to the behavioral point of view, motivation is the anticipation of a reward in which individuals are inspired to get positive reinforcement. Brown (2007),  says that behaviorists see motivation subordinated to external influences, such as ”parents, teachers, peers, educational requirements, job specifications, and so forth

.

The cognitive standpoint says that what motivates people comes from deep inside them. According to  Brown (2007), motivation could come from the need of exploring the unknown, manipulating something, doing some physical or mental activity, the need for stimulation, the need for knowledge, or the need for being accepted by others.

And finally, the last theory is the constructivist point of view. According to it, motivation comes from the individual’s own conception, but it is also influenced by cultural and social aspects because the individuals’ decisions are stimulated by the dynamics of life around them.  

People could be intrinsically or extrinsically motivated. A person is intrinsically motivated when the inspiration comes from an internal desire, in this case, to learn a language. For example, it could be for an integrative purpose (the desire to integrate into the target language culture) or just because the person enjoys learning languages. An individual is extrinsically motivated when the inspiration is external, it means when there is an external reward, such as money, acknowledgment, prizes, grades at school, a promotion at work, etc. for example: some people get motivated to study English to get a better position in the company they work for.  

I made a questionnaire for my English as foreign language students of level 6 and level 7 in which they had to answer the following question: What motivates you to learn English?

The result was the following: the amount of students was twenty, sixteen said that their motivation was to be  promoted at work or to get a better-paid job, so it means that the motivator or inspiration was an extrinsic one, we could say that it is money; two students said they like languages, so these ones are inspired by an intrinsic motivator, one student said that he frequently travels to the United States and he needs to speak the language, and one answered that she is on the process of getting a green card for living in the United States.  These two are examples of extrinsic motivation, too.

We can conclude that 80% of my students in this trimester are extrinsically motivated to study English and the motivator is money; 10% is extrinsically motivated by necessity and only 10% is intrinsically motivated.

Language teachers need to be aware of the importance of motivation in language learning, so when they plan their lessons they have to think about activities and strategies that motivate learners and make them enjoy the learning language process. Educators also have to encourage students to be autonomous. To do this they need to be good motivators, this is really good, especially, for those students who need extrinsic motivation.

Teachers can motivate their students by telling them the importance of learning the target language in the context they are learning. For example in the Dominican Republic Context, where the unemployment rate among young population is high, public school english teachers motivate their students by telling them the wage people get in call centers for speaking english, only.  

 Love is in Human Nature

By

Damián Francis

I daily hear people, I am in contact with say that they do not believe in love, but from my point of view, the ones who think that way are wrong. To me, love is part of human nature.  I remember when my father passed away, I was only 8 years old, and there is no doubt that I loved him. His death made stronger the love I felt for my mother, I really appreciated her. And I felt she was my most valuable treasure. She died when I was in my twenties, it was a terrible loss, but at the same time made me valorize and love more my two sisters.

I got married one year after my mother’s death, and part of the empty space she left in me was filled with my wife. A partner never substitutes the preeminence of a mother but helps you to satisfy your love instinct. If the word parents is similar to the word love, so the words sons and daughters are the same as love. When your kids are born is when you really understand what love is.

When my two sons were born my love for my parents, sisters and my wife became stronger because first, I valorize all of those values my parents taught me to get the best of me, and second I appreciate the affection I get from my sisters and wife. To me, love never dies away. Normal individuals always find a reason to love. It is one of the aspects that makes us human beings.