About This Course
This course aims to build on teachers’ on-going practice and enhance their existing repository of skills and strategies to teach Communicative English. They will implement innovative teaching practices to glean principles from them and adapt their existing teaching methods to augment student learning.
Teachers will reflect on existing practices of language learning both in their classrooms and in society and adopt pedagogies to create and sustain a learning environment that encourages learner-autonomy, a positive mindframe that learns from failures, a collaborative environment for peer-learning and authentic, relevant learning.
The use of ICT will be a core component of the course to strengthen the on-going practice of of the teachers. It aims to include the use of technology to enable language learning in the classroom. Through the use of CLIx English Student modules and other available digital resources such as mobile dictionaries, language games, Pratham Storyweaver and the TESS India website, teachers will examine their self-knowledge and their knowledge about their classrooms. Using these materials they will arrive at some of the best principles in language teaching. They will be able to create or source new materials in order to foster an effective language learning environment. They will also look at evaluation and feedback methods in the context of their own practices and discover or create ingenious ways of providing feedback.
The assignments would be mostly focused on experiential reflections of community practices, designing and/or implementing a course/activity contributing to the building of a knowledge pool of best practices. Teachers will critically examine the underpinnings of theories and values of educational activities and use the same to generate innovative activities that would aid effective language learning and teaching. The teachers will gain a taxonomy of practices to engage with her professional community to continue a reflective engagement in a community of practice even after the course has been completed.
Objectives
- Examine the socio-cultural impact on language learning practices.
- Develop a critical understanding of their own classrooms and understand their own roles and their student roles in language learning and teaching.
- Develop skills to conduct a technology-enabled language learning course.
- Examine language learning principles and appraise current best practices other than those given in the prescribed materials.
- Improve their capabilities to create and sustain a learning environment fostering learner autonomy, peer learning and self-reflection.
- Create or collate new resources for language learning and teaching.
- Reflect on their practices continually for their own professional growth in a community of practice.
Course Staff
Anusha Ramanathan
Curriculum Consultant, Centre for Education, Innovation and Action Research, TISS
I have taught for more than a decade at undergraduate and the postgraduate levels across various domains including English and Mass Media and Business Studies. I also wear the caps of course coordinator, examiner, teacher trainer, corporate trainer, researcher, editor, content developer, syllabus designer and reviewer at different times in various institutions. I lead the TPD English development and delivery as part of the English Team at CLIx.
Reema Mani
Research Associate, Centre for Education, Innovation and Action Research, TISS
Before joining the field of education, I worked in account management in advertising, with a focus on consumer insights and research. I have worked as a facilitator, from the pre-school to high school levels. I co-lead the course development of Communicative English Language Teaching.
Mayuri Kulkarni
Research Associate, Centre for Education, Innovation and Action Research, TISS
Prior to CLIx, I worked with Azim Premji Foundation, Sirohi District Institute for two years as English Language Resource Person. In this role, I developed modules for the teaching of English as a second language and also trained Government School teachers in the area of Second Language Acquisition. At CLIx, I am part of the English team and involved in Teacher Professional Development, Curriculum Development and Research. My research interests are analyzing the combination of Language Acquisition-Perspective and Pedagogy in alignment with its effects on Teacher Professional Development.
Surbhi Nagpal
Research Assistant, Centre for Education, Innovation and Action Research, TISS
As a Research Assistant at CLIx, I work with the English Team and am involved in course development and research related activities. Prior to CLIx, I have worked as a teacher trainer at InOpen Technologies, an organisation working in computer education. I also worked as a primary teacher for two years. I have completed my M.Phil in Education from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS).
