Reda Boukli-Hacene
University of Oran II Mohamed Ben Ahmed
Abstract
Learning a foreign language is effort-demanding and challenging at the same time. Students’ deficiencies and lacks have to be overcome by taking lessons through conventional school, syllabuses, nationally-decided programs and methods. Besides, tests and examinations – the primary means for assessing students’ progress – have to be taken and students are expected to succeed. However, sometimes it is not an easy task to learn a foreign language through conventional learning. In addition, students’ profiles vary from one another, from one class to another, from one country to another, etc. On the other hand, students’ expectations and needs are different from one person to another. Many students use other unconventional means to learn a foreign language, and surprisingly they succeed in their process of learning whereas many others fail in the conventional school. Today, technology offers availability, easy access, having fun in learning and many other attractive aspects that conventional syllabuses do not offer to students. Among the various unconventional means of learning, online distance teaching comes in force to enhance learning opportunity. Thanks to the quick spread of highly developed technologies such as the Internet, educational platforms, websites, blogs, forums, videos namely YouTube channels, smartphones, tablets, Android applications and some other tools of social media like Facebook to name but few. Online distance teaching perspectives are beyond the expectations for it is in perpetual development and spread, gaining more and more the attention of teachers, students and even renowned educational enterprises and universities likewise. One wonders to what extent is the online teaching effective. Can our students learn a foreign language through online teaching? One notices that the availability of technology is at the expense of the course book and the pen used for so long by our peers. Will online teaching replace teachers too? Or should we rehabilitate our schools and adapt our conventional teaching to the new trends of learning using technology? Many other questions may arise when tackling the issue of online teaching and one wonders what the future would reserve for both teachers and students.
1.1 Introduction
In Algeria, a great number of educational reforms have been undertaken by the government in addition to a series of bilateral conventions with the United Kingdom and the United States of America in order to promote the teaching and learning of the English language. The spread of English as the language of science, technology, medicine, international academic and political communication, and recently of social media, did not make it easy for both language professionals and politicians alike. Certainly, great efforts devoted to develop the public education sector and set new strategies, approaches and techniques, have been made. Those efforts were translated by decision-makers’ education policies1. Now, with the rise of technology, the availability and the fast easy access to knowledge and information of all types in just “one click”, one would wonder whether those education policies meet the newest English language teaching and learning trends where students’ learning and performance are seen from a different angle than the government’s policies.
This study was undertaken on the basis of the following research questions:
To what extent is the online teaching effective?
Can our students learn a foreign language through online teaching?
Will online teaching replace teachers too?
Or should we rather rehabilitate our schools and adapt our conventional teaching to the newest trends of learning using technology products?
Many other questions may arise when tackling the issue of online teaching and one wonders what the future would reserve for both teachers and students.
1.2 Conventional teaching/learning versus English language new trends
By conventional teaching and learning, we mean the education type or syllabi where ICTs and technology products and devices are whether absent or not used, not to say even banned. In the past, the teacher and the book used to be the only sources of knowledge. Even if the teacher and the book still have this prestige and new technology devices do not contradict their paramount roles in learners’ instruction, it is important to emphasize that new technology products come to offer a new fast easy attractive dimension in ELT and EFL in the Algerian context meeting thus the all new English language trends and fulfilling the learners of English demands.
Indeed, the newest learning and teaching technologies offer more facility to the learner to accomplish his quest for knowledge and in learning English the way and the time he wants breaking down thus all the obstacles and inconveniences found in conventional schools and curriculum. By devising new Android applications of all types and themes, new dynamic websites for all ages and profiles, creating Facebook groups and pages, broadcasting English lessons and even exercises through YouTube channels, online chat rooms, online live learning classes, etc., today’s access to knowledge and learning English has never existed before in its current form.
Besides, today learners from all around the world can meet in a virtual classroom with a native teacher without really having to travel to another place or country being able to study whatever subject they want. For Algerian learners of English, they can meet, talk and even get taught by native speakers of English without moving to anywhere from home thanks to a computer linked to the Internet. Or, they can also get access to any information or detail from the applications that are installed on their smartphones regardless of time or place thanks to the 3G or 4G networks. It is also worth to mention that today most of us need our computers and smartphones for various purposes more than never, but the younger generation aged between 8 to 35 years old is even more addicted to their devices. This is not an assertion, but a reality that every one of us has noticed or is able to notice. Moreover, there are a lot of private schools which offer very different ways to teach English using internationally recognized programs, techniques and approaches including ICTs. This makes it tougher again for the government decision makers and English language teachers. The situation is that on one hand the presence of technology is very strong and its spread is very wide. On the other hand, the rise in the demand for the different products of technology facilitating learning in general and English in particular is overwhelming.
Consequently, online distance teaching and learning using new technology devices and products, seem to respond positively and meet the English language learners’ needs and expectations. However, is online teaching really effective? Can our students learn a foreign language through online teaching?
1.3 Research procedure and instruments
This research aims at responding to the questions mentioned previously and in order to reach this objective, this study focuses on the two main actors of the education sector, the teachers and the learners taking into consideration each one’s opinion and attitude towards the teaching and learning act especially concerning conventional English language teaching and learning, and English teaching and learning with ICTs and new technology devices and products. In order to collect data and for practicability purposes, two interviews, without being recorded2, were conducted anonymously, in Algerian Arabic, French and English, in the street with both teachers and students from a middle and a secondary school in Oran while getting out of their respective institutions. Although we had a good number of respondents, we could not work on the data “collected” for these were not recorded. However, in order to be able at least to present their opinions and attitudes in this research, we had to write as much as possible their answers to these questions:
For Teachers of English, the following questions were asked:
Do you include ICTs in your classroom?
What do you think of those teachers who still teach with archaic conventional methods?
Can you compare between the past conventional teaching and today’s educational technology development in terms of students’ performance and achievement?
Are you in favor or not for online English language teaching?
Do you find online teaching effective to teach and learn a foreign language in general and English in particular?
With the wide spread of new educational technologies, devices, products, Internet, smartphones, tablets, Android & OS applications, social media and so on don’t you feel threatened in your future as a teacher?
Do you think that online teaching will replace teachers one day?
For students, we asked them the following questions:
What kind of means do you use to learn English?
Do you prefer a black board or an interactive white board?
Do you think you will learn English better if you use a smartphone or tablet?
Do you use the Internet to learn English?
Do you use YouTube to understand some of the lessons you did in class?
Do you use Facebook to learn English?
Do you find it easier to study with your teacher or using the Internet?
Do you use any other technology to learn English?
How do you imagine the future in learning English with respect of the new technologies?
1.4 Exploring Teachers and Student’s Opinions
1.4.1 The first group i.e. teachers of English:
For this category, seven questions were asked to 8 teachers, 4 from middle school and 4 from secondary school. The informants’ answers were diverse as every teacher provided his own opinion. They were summarized as it is shown in the chart.
Male: 2 | Female: 6
Male: 2 | Female: 6
1.4.2 The second group i.e. students:
For this category, nine questions were asked to 13 students, 5 from middle school and 8 from secondary school. The informants’ answers and opinions were summarized as it is shown in the chart.
Male: 7 l Female: 6
Male: 7 l Female: 6
1.5 Results and Discussion
From all data that have been presented so far, it is necessary to analyze the results obtained from the two interviews we had with both teachers and students. It is worth to mention that most of students know their needs and expectations. Their awareness about their English level or even the way(s) they can improve it, is very clear in their mind.
First, in response to Qs 1, Do you include ICTs in your classroom?, forwarded to teachers, N= 8 which equals 100% including two males i.e. 25% and 6 female respondents constituting 75%. As question one is concerned, we had two opposite answers among males 50% with “yes” and 50% with “no”. For females, 66,66% responded with “yes” and 33,33% with “no”. This explains that not only there is a difference between males and females in using ICTs, but also in not using them.
Turning to Qs 2, What do you think of those teachers who still teach with archaic conventional methods? The two males were totally divergent in their answers. When A: “They’re old fashioned” whereas B replied: “I see no problem in that.” However, four females responded: “They are our peers, and we should respect their “old-fashioned” way.” 2/ “They should retire.”
Moreover, concerning Qs 3, Can you compare between the past conventional teaching and today’s educational technology development in terms of students’ performance and achievement?, the two gentlemen explicitly gave two different points of view. For A: “Today, our students’ performance is so to say better than the past only in terms of accessibility to the information not to their level.” But, respondent B said politely with a bit of verbal violence: “No idea, I’m sorry. Why do you care anyway? They will do what they want.” For female informants who were of a number of six in total, only 4 ladies responded positively to the question and said: “Our students have more access to the information thanks to Internet. We didn’t have such an opportunity.” One teacher gave a negative comment i.e. 1/ “It’s the same catastrophic level.” Only one teacher provided a void answer 1/ “ What can I say emm no comment.”
To question number 4, Are you in favor or not for online English language teaching?, we had divergent answers. As for A, he replied positively to the question with 1/ “Absolutely”. However, the second male teacher i.e. B replied with a strong, negative answer and rejected the idea of online teaching. His answer was: “We are not even able to provide them with books so what to say about your online teaching?” For female respondents who were of a number of six in total, only 3 ladies responded with an uncertain answer which was: 3/ “Online teaching! Well, yes but with some reserves.” The other two ladies responded positively with “Why not?”, but the last lady provided a negative answer joining the same opinion of the male teacher, B. Her answer was: “No what’s the point? You can’t.” Answers to question 5 were almost in the same perspective as question 4.
However, to question number 6: With the wide spread of new educational technologies, devices, products, Internet, smartphones, tablets, Android & OS applications, social media and so on don’t you feel threatened in your future as a teacher?, some answers were very much provocative and harsh revealing may be the fear of the respondents or simply a way of defending their status, position and their conventional way of teaching. For instance, the male teacher, B, replied: “Threatened! Of what? Technology “khalliha l’wled 3issa”. The second part of his answer was a code switching to Algerian Arabic especially to Oran Arabic. By “khalliha l’wled 3issa”, the respondent meant that technology is to be left for people from the Western World i.e. Europe and America as it is wrongly perceived by many because technology has no nationality and does not belong to any particular country but rather to mankind. On the other hand, two ladies replied with an interesting answer: “One day there will be no human teachers. May be robots.” It was not clear whether this answer was positively meant or it referred to their despair or call of rescue. The last female teacher said: “I’m not familiar with these stuffs, but they can never replace a teacher.” Although she recognizes her weakness in using technology and its products, but she claims that technology devices can never replace a teacher, which is in a way true because through online teaching there is no human contact, emotions and feelings, and maybe more than that.
Finally, to question 7 Do you think that online teaching will replace teachers one day?, an interesting answer was chosen as an example. Male teacher A replied: “Yes, indeed . » I won’t need to come to school to teach, but I’ll do it from home.” With this answer, respondent A contradicts himself amazingly because he provided us with a different point of view that was expressed in his replies to question 4 and 5. However, we could not know whether he meant what he said or it was just a way of sarcasm in order to end the conversation because his answer reveals what online teaching is.
Second, in response to Qs 1, What kind of means do you use to learn English?, forwarded to students, the total N= 13 which equals 100% including 7 males i.e. 53,84% and 6 female respondents constituting 46,15%. As question one is concerned, we had various answers. For 5 males, “Smartphone Apps, Facebook and YouTube, video games, music and movies. » were used to learn English. However, two students replied: “The English course book only.” This means that their range of learning English was limited to their English course book only and probably only the classroom. For females, 3 students chose “The English course book only.” as a means of learning English. Two others, however; opted for “TV series, Smartphone Apps, Facebook and YouTube.” Only one female student answered with: “Nothing” as a reply which reveals that she is not even interested in learning English. Her attitude is not understood, but we can guess that her answer was due to her weaknesses because in fact according to the national curriculum she has to use her English course book not only to learn but also to do her homework, projects and even her exercises in the classroom. So her answer is illogical and false.
To question two, Do you prefer a black board or an interactive white board?, we had 12 students with a unanimous answer which is: “an interactive white board”. Only one student did not provide an answer.
To question three, Do you think you will learn English better if you use a smartphone or tablet?, we had the same answer; all 7 male students replied with: “Using a smartphone and or a computer.” But for females, various answers were given. Four students opted for a smartphone, one for a tablet and one for a computer.
To question four, Do you use Internet to learn English?, all 7 male and 5 female students replied positively with: “Yes”, however; only one student replied with “No”.
To question five, Do you use YouTube to understand some of the lessons you did in class? and to question 6 Do you use Facebook to learn English?, the answers with “Yes” have been obtained unanimously without even asking the questions.
However, to question 7, Do you find it easier to study with your teacher or using Internet?, we had two opposite answers among males; 5 answers with “yes” and 2 with “no”. For females, 5 responded with “yes” and 1 with “no”.
To question 8, Do you use any other technology to learn English?, 4 males claimed to use CDs to learn English and only 3 chose the answer ‘No’. For ladies, the answers were different. Three of them claimed that they were talking to British ladies to learn English; two of them answered with “Reading and listening to e-stories books.” Only one female student answered with “No”.
Finally, to the last question, How do you imagine the future in learning English with respect of the new technologies?, We had the same answer for all male students i.e. “Great and fascinating”. For female students, we obtained 5 positive answers with “Fantastic” and only one negative answer with “Boring”.
1.6 Conclusion
Thanks to the quick spread of highly developed technologies such as the Internet, educational platforms, websites, blogs, forums, videos namely YouTube channels, smartphones, tablets, and some other tools of social media like Facebook to name but few, today’s technology offers available easy access to the information in general and to learning a foreign language in particular. Online distance teaching comes in force to enhance learning opportunity offering fun in learning and many other attractive aspects that conventional teaching does not offer to students. Online distance teaching is in omnipresent development and spread; it is gaining more and more the attention of not only teachers and students, but also most renowned educational enterprises and universities not to say governments.
From our study, it is clear that there is still a clash between two generations; one which is very much enthusiastic to replace conventional teaching with online distance teaching and learning. However, there is a generation which is partially or totally against online distance learning. Although the perspectives of online distance teaching and learning are beyond the expectations; some people are still reluctant and reject the shift to the new trends of teaching and learning. Whether because of fear or simply of unreadiness to change to technology globalization, the future will tell us more about the possibility or impossibility to replace conventional teaching with online distance teaching and learning, or they will exist side by side to offer the best to the learner.
References
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1 Commission nationale de réforme du système éducatif (CNRSE). The National Commission for the Reform of the Educational System was created in 2000 by President Bouteflika in order to take in charge all issues related to the education sector.
2 Most of the informants did not accept to be recorded. We suppose they were afraid or thought they are dealing with a journalist or a police officer, although; we assured them we are not one.