Task 4 - Paula Zambrana Ponce (Les TIC en l'Aprenentatge d'Idiomes)

Paula Zambrana Ponce                   NIUB: 20276406                    2023-2024                        Les TIC en l'Aprenentatge d'Idiomes  

TASK 4

Pla de Treball Form

Library Session

After being able to attend the library lesson, different aspects of relevance can be underlined. The information provided throughout the session was truly functional, as it introduced a manner to quickly and easily search articles without spending hours looking at different articles that may suit our own paper. In addition, the fact that there is a database created by the Department of Education of the US and connected with our university was unknown to me until that session, and it is truly useful for future research, as it focuses solely on our future line of work.

Furthermore, this session also provided better insight into the use of databases such as "Cercabib" or "ERIC", which is especially advantageous for the master’s thesis. In my case, the thesis focuses heavily on audiovisual material and linguistics, all while connecting these aspects with education and the impact audiovisual material has on a classroom context. Therefore, both databases are resources that can be of great assistance as well as specify great academic references. Not only that, but the session also exemplified the best manner of searching for specific keywords, which is something I have always struggled with. Through this session, the different specifications and pieces of advice provided a different perspective on the way I was previously searching for articles that suited my topic and the results I wanted to obtain.

Moreover, for action research, the "ERIC" database introduced during the session, and presented by the speaker who explained how to use it as well as the "Cercabib", is also beneficial because it can distinguish similar research papers that can be used as examples for our own action research. Additionally, the session’s content also presented different tools that allowed for more specified research, which can be necessary for action research. In other words, the fact that there are so many filters can be of aid in action research, as it is an investigation that is more specific, and thus it can benefit from it.

Flipped Classroom in an EFL Classroom

After being introduced to the flipped classroom approach, it is important to consider how to implement this type of approach in an EFL classroom. To begin with, applying a flipped classroom in an EFL classroom can enable students to improve their learning process and enhance their autonomy to acquire the expected knowledge to be part of the class. That is to say, because students must be introduced to the topic at home, and work on it during school time, this permits students to control the degree of acquisition learners think they are ready for, which improves their autonomy. Therefore, this approach allows for many potential uses in an EFL classroom. Principally, inside an EFL classroom, students’ level of proficiency can vary, which provokes a disproportion inside the group class that most times cannot be alleviated by the teacher. Notwithstanding, the use of a flipped classroom allows for the possibility of students to use different materials that enable them to understand the content being taught, and be distributed in class in a manner that those who have lower proficiency levels can be helped by those who have a higher proficiency knowledge. In other words, students that in a conventional classroom would not be able to help others, have the opportunity to do so while following the flipped classroom approach. 

In addition, another potential use of the flipped classroom in an EFL classroom is that students can control and be part of the class. By allowing students to ask questions and practice what they have learnt in class, they can feel more in control of their degree of acquisition, which translates into a higher motivation to participate in class. This is especially relevant in an EFL classroom, as most of these classes follow a conventional approach that demotivates students by following the same drills and typology of exercises. Moreover, multiple types of technology may be useful for this type of approach. For instance, websites such as Canva or  Genially, which enable the creation of content, allow students to have educational and pedagogical material while also interacting with it, which can be a great source of technology. In addition, games such as Kahoot or Quizziz can also be used for the flipped classroom and can be used to assess their knowledge through quizzes, especially Quizziz, which automatically grades students and gives them a mark.