Why is it important for teachers to also become autonomous learners? Aren't the teachers the ones that are responsible for emerging autonomy and independence out of students' learning process?
However, when teaching in an institution that enforces a curriculum on teachers to abide to, it's easy for teachers to just follow the given syllabus and materials without evaluating whether or not it completely fits the students' needs. Instead, teachers settle down with a fixed approach and syllabus of the curriculum; they forget that resources in education keep on changing and evolving as researchers discover newer and improved ways to teach. Therefore, it is crucial for teachers to be autonomous; there is never a point where we're done learning, so we need to keep that driving force to seek knowledge, reflect on our own teaching methods and strategies, and continue revising and improving our skills and experience in teaching. It is difficult to go back to databases and academic journals frequently after completing your masters degree and departing from the academic atmosphere, so I think social media is a great alternative for teachers to stay up to date on the newest teaching techniques and perspectives.
As an active user of Facebook, I take advantage of its newsfeed function and follow educational Facebook pages to receive notifications and updates about the latest topics and issues in teaching. Facebook is not just about gossip and celebrities; you can make your time spent on social media more meaningful and educational!
Facebook pages are public platforms for people to "like" so they can follow and get updates of the content shared by the page on their newsfeed. Facebook page owners can write posts, share links, photos and videos. This function is convenient for followers to gain access to useful, contemporary, and interesting sources. Facebook users (not only followers) can like, comment on, or share the posts. With these options, new sources can be circulated easily, and users may be able to discuss and gain different perspectives and ideas about the topic shared. Facebook also has the hastag (#) function for users to label and categorise their posts, but it isn't used as frequently as Twitter, so you may not be able to find abundant sources through this function. The best way to find pages is to type in keywords in the search bar, such as "Teaching English", and groups related to the keywords will appear on your screen. Sometimes you can see other pages liked by the page, which may take you to other resourceful links as well.
There are various types of groups on facebook you can follow. Take your time to browse through the groups and follow those that suit your teaching context and students' needs! The groups range widely from simple grammar tips, such as Grammar Girl, or various topics about teaching method, beliefs, examples such as TeachingEnglish-British Council or TeachThought. These Facebook groups often share new, trending ideas in the teaching field for teachers to learn about and improve on their teaching! These groups are just a sneak peek of the many, many groups out there on Facebook for you to explore.
The drawbacks to using any form of social media to learn more about teaching approaches is that you cannot filter out comments or posts that you find unnecessary, helpless, or sometimes even time-wasting. In this case, it's best to be selective when following groups and reading their posts. Anyone can gain access to social media, so sometimes you might see or interact with people that you disagree with or find offensive. This is unavoidable with social media, which can be distracting or affect your mood, so try to view these posts and comments without letting your emotions take over your mood and unleashing it in public!
Although teacher-learner autonomy may be time consuming as trying out new methods and techniques may be a bit time consuming, but incorporating or supplementing materials and tools that fit students' needs and their learning context may motivate and enhance their learning process, which can be rewarding for both the teacher and the learners!
Is there a Facebook page that you recommend for teachers? Or is there another form of social media that you find helpful to access innovative and insightful sources? Please do share with me by leaving a comment below! :)
However, when teaching in an institution that enforces a curriculum on teachers to abide to, it's easy for teachers to just follow the given syllabus and materials without evaluating whether or not it completely fits the students' needs. Instead, teachers settle down with a fixed approach and syllabus of the curriculum; they forget that resources in education keep on changing and evolving as researchers discover newer and improved ways to teach. Therefore, it is crucial for teachers to be autonomous; there is never a point where we're done learning, so we need to keep that driving force to seek knowledge, reflect on our own teaching methods and strategies, and continue revising and improving our skills and experience in teaching. It is difficult to go back to databases and academic journals frequently after completing your masters degree and departing from the academic atmosphere, so I think social media is a great alternative for teachers to stay up to date on the newest teaching techniques and perspectives.
As an active user of Facebook, I take advantage of its newsfeed function and follow educational Facebook pages to receive notifications and updates about the latest topics and issues in teaching. Facebook is not just about gossip and celebrities; you can make your time spent on social media more meaningful and educational!
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| Following Facebook groups is a good way to teachers to explore educational sources |
Facebook pages are public platforms for people to "like" so they can follow and get updates of the content shared by the page on their newsfeed. Facebook page owners can write posts, share links, photos and videos. This function is convenient for followers to gain access to useful, contemporary, and interesting sources. Facebook users (not only followers) can like, comment on, or share the posts. With these options, new sources can be circulated easily, and users may be able to discuss and gain different perspectives and ideas about the topic shared. Facebook also has the hastag (#) function for users to label and categorise their posts, but it isn't used as frequently as Twitter, so you may not be able to find abundant sources through this function. The best way to find pages is to type in keywords in the search bar, such as "Teaching English", and groups related to the keywords will appear on your screen. Sometimes you can see other pages liked by the page, which may take you to other resourceful links as well.
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| Type in keywords to find pages relevant to your teaching context |
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| You may discover something helpful by browsing through pages liked by another page |
There are various types of groups on facebook you can follow. Take your time to browse through the groups and follow those that suit your teaching context and students' needs! The groups range widely from simple grammar tips, such as Grammar Girl, or various topics about teaching method, beliefs, examples such as TeachingEnglish-British Council or TeachThought. These Facebook groups often share new, trending ideas in the teaching field for teachers to learn about and improve on their teaching! These groups are just a sneak peek of the many, many groups out there on Facebook for you to explore.
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| Like, share and comment on posts to mingle with other teachers and gain insight |
The drawbacks to using any form of social media to learn more about teaching approaches is that you cannot filter out comments or posts that you find unnecessary, helpless, or sometimes even time-wasting. In this case, it's best to be selective when following groups and reading their posts. Anyone can gain access to social media, so sometimes you might see or interact with people that you disagree with or find offensive. This is unavoidable with social media, which can be distracting or affect your mood, so try to view these posts and comments without letting your emotions take over your mood and unleashing it in public!
Although teacher-learner autonomy may be time consuming as trying out new methods and techniques may be a bit time consuming, but incorporating or supplementing materials and tools that fit students' needs and their learning context may motivate and enhance their learning process, which can be rewarding for both the teacher and the learners!
Is there a Facebook page that you recommend for teachers? Or is there another form of social media that you find helpful to access innovative and insightful sources? Please do share with me by leaving a comment below! :)
Hi Wanda,
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I personally think that Facebook is almost an effortless way of self-improving and getting exposed to novel practices and resources. Even if we don't have the flexibility of time to apply them in our class, it's refreshing to simply read updates on issues or cutting-edge ELT techniques. Thanks for suggesting the ELT Facebook groups!
I agree with you! I just came across an article from the British Council discussing about the importance of teaching schwa! It's really convenient to get different perspectives on teaching and even the newest theories and approaches! :D
DeleteHi Wanda,
ReplyDeleteGreat to see a blog on the same topic. I know about Teaching English BC page, but the grammar girl and Teach thought are new. I will add them and follow their posts :)
Since I learned English from a more naturalistic method, grammar is my weakest point! I need to do some reading and research on how to explain grammar rules, and grammar girl is one of my saviours! I believe there is more information on their website, http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl! (Yea, the URL looks a bit questionable...haha but it's legitimate, don't worry!)
DeleteIn answering you last question, Twitter is another source of social media that one can access so as to remain updated.
ReplyDeleteThanks for recommending the facebook pages (Teach Thought ect.). I have to admit that I wasn't aware of them. As you can see your blog has contributed to my professional development. :-)
Hi Emmanouela! Do you use Twitter more often than Facebook when it comes to learning more about ELT? I'm not a frequent user of Twitter, do you know any advantages Twitter has that Facebook lacks?
Delete