Learning and teaching challenges for Romanian [626729]

Learning and teaching challenges for Romanian
students and teachers

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.INTRODUCTION p. 3
I THEORY
2.THEORETICAL ASPECTS p.4
2.1 IDENTIFYING THE PROBLEM
2.2 SHORT INTRODUCTION INTO THE CEFR
2.2.1 THE ROLE OF EVALUATION
2.2.2 COORDINATING EVALUATION
2.2.3 OLD/NEW STYLES OF EVALUATION
2.3 SHORT INTRODUCTION INTO THE Multiple intelligences theory
DEALING WITH DIFFERENT LEVELS IN THE SAME CLASS- THE
IMPORTANCE OF USING DIFFERENTIATED TEACHING METHODS
1. WHAT IS OLD AND NEW WHEN IT COMES TO TEACHING?
1.1 CLASSICAL METHODS AND TYPES OF CLASSES
– GRAMMAR- TRANSLATION METHOD
– THE LECTURE CLASS
1.2 INTERACTIVE METHODS,MATERIALS AND TYPES OF CLASSES
TPR- use a variety of realia, posters, and props , TBL- drills, NLP- modeling, CLT
-Role-play
Interviews
Games
Surveys
Pair-work

Learning by teaching
English through music
English through stories
WEB 2.0 tools
FLIPPING CLASSES?
2.4 TESTED LEVELS
2.5 EVALUATING CONTENTS 25
III. RESEARCH
CHALLENGES
THE ROLE AND COMPETENCES OF CLASSICAL TEACHER/ THE MANY ROLES
OF THE MODERN TEACHER (5PGS+)
THE FOCUS OF THE TEACHING PROCESS (TEACHER- STUDENT)
MAKING SURE ALL STUDENTS HAVE A MINIMUM PROGRESS DURING EACH
CLASS
3.METHODOLOGICAL RESEARCH
3.1 ABOUT THE RESEARCH
3.3.CONTEXT OF THE RESEARCH
LOWER SECONDARY GRADES
3.1.1. OBJECTIVES OF RESEARCH
HOW TO OVERCOME CHALLENGES USING CERTAIN METHODS
What are the main EFL (difficulties and) challenges for Romanian students and teachers?
How can these be minimized?
3.1.2 HYPOTHESIS OF RESEARCH
3.1.3 TYPE OF RESEARCH = ACTION RESEARCH
CHOOSING THE SKILLS TO CHECK = SPEAKING, LISTENING

3.2. METHODS OF INVESTIGATION
PROCEDURES FOR GATHERING DATA
PRE- TEST, MODERN+CLASSICAL METHODS
QUESTIONNAIRE-FOR TEACHERS
POST-TESTING
3.4.RESULTS OF THE RESEARCH
4.CONCLUSIONS
5.BIBLIOGRAPHY 76
6.APPENDIX
….. grade research – Activity plans using interactive methods (6-10) (TPR, learning through
songs, role plays etc)
….. grade research- Activity plans mixing interactive and classical ( grammar translation etc
vs the above ones)
Listening test1
Speaking test (needs recordings attached)
Questionnaire and results
1

Learning and teaching challenges for Romanian students and
teachers
1.INTRODUCTION
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the
world. (Nelson Mandela)
Nelson Mandela was one of the most prominent figures when it comes to revolution,
human rights and, why not, education. His visionary nature inspired many people around the
world even now, years after his passing.
Just like he said, we are now in the middle of a revolution: one in education, as well as
in understanding life and humanity.
The world is revolving, generations of children change dramatically as compared to the
ones from 10-20 years ago and we need to move along and find solutions that work out best
for them the way they are now.
It is well- known that most of the methods used in state schools nowadays are still the
“classical” “old fashioned” methods we actually grew up with. Why? Maybe because part of
the teachers working in the system right now spent the last 20-30 years of their lives
working this way and because the younger teachers from the system grew up with them and
remember them from school as being good methods. What was successful 30 years ago is
now too slow or discriminating while education nowadays needs to be interactive and
inclusive. We still have a difficult time finding the sparkle in kids who fail in maths and
languages but they usually are brilliant in sports, arts and handicrafts so this is certainly one
thing to work on.
Will the newbies change this system, since they are educated in this new spirit and are
taught these new methods during their college or university years? I don’t think so, they
don’t yet have a style of their own and don’t yet have a leader voice to make older

colleagues follow them. I think this is the big challenge here: changing the system with
every one of us. We as teachers need to reflect more upon the status of our job and the way
students react during educational activities and after seeing the feedback we have to make a
change and adjust ourselves, our methods and our speech to this reality.
This is the big revolution that needs to be done and unless we do it sooner I believe
these smart and impatient children will feel so bored and disappointed by school that they
will end up turning against it.
Throughout my EFL teacher experience, I've managed to teach students aged 3-14/15,
working both on a national curriculum basis and on private one. During the activities I
attended and carried out myself, I could notice that the 2 ways of teaching and handling a
lesson differ dramatically when we refer to the amount of oral interaction a teacher is
supposed to have with young children, 3-7 years old. In state schools, where until 2012,
children had started learning English around the age of 10, this oral interaction was very
new at the moment when English language became compulsory for all students, starting
from Prep Grade once they were introduced in the national curriculum.
It can be said that one of the greatest challenges Romanian teachers and students meet
during EFL classes is overcoming old school views and infrastructure. Back in 2002, using
audio- video materials was not very common in school when teaching 3rd -8th grades.
As technology and sets of textbooks changed, every teacher would be able to gather
loads of audio cassettes (that came with the teacher's books) and then CD s, followed by
video materials such as DVD s. Then, during the last years more and more schools were
provided with free access to internet in some (if not all) of the classrooms, which means
teachers can now use multimedia materials during classes without having to buy special
DVDs for them. The best change, in this matter, would be the appearance of multimedia (or
digital) student books, where some of the DVDs traditionally offered at a relatively high
price before, were made freeof charge and available to all teachers, students and parents on
the Ministry of Education online platform, www.manuale.edu.ro .
Of course, we still need to have video projectors, computers and audio sets in all
classrooms in order to freely use technology while teaching our students. Right now we do
have some of these but not available for all classrooms.

Then, another big challenge would be the lack of competences some teachers face
when handling such devices.
Moving further, I believe that introducing English classes to prep grade students is a
great step forward towards the acquisition of the foreign language. First of all, this is one
way to ensure students with a foreign language exposure and use before they start reading
and writing so they can first be introduced to the new language orally, in a natural way,
increasing their chances for a greater language acquisition.
Being in the middle of school curriculum reform, during the previous school years
(more specifically, in the school year 2013-2014) Romanian teachers had the chance to
teach 3 starter grades in every school: the prep grade and 1st grade as being the ones starting
EFL study together following the new curriculum and the ones starting EFL after the older
curriculum, the 3rd grade students.
We could easily choose the winners of this- they were the prep grade students, the
youngest ones who had the chance of starting fresh, in a more informal way. The ones in the
1st grade had to make up for the "missed" year first, since their workbooks looked a bit more
difficult than the ones prep grade students used. Plus, they had to deal with writing and
reading tasks more than the younger ones. Teachers usually enjoy using additional audio-
video materials with both classes and watching them starting to communicate in English in a
natural way. This seems to be more attractive than the way it is done with the 4th grade
starter level students. They do have attractive materials accompanied by audio and video
materials and feel very happy to learn the new language but to them, it is a bit more difficult
to learn in a natural way because they need to stick up to the common curriculum, the books
and lessons available there.

2.THEORETICAL ASPECTS
When thinking about challenges in teaching English for Romanian teachers and
students, one should consider more than just grammar and vocabulary accuracy. As
emphasized in the r ecommendation on key competences for lifelong learning of the
European Parliament and of the Council (2006/962/EC), one of the 8 key competences
that need to be developed by each individual throughout their lifelong learning process
(which starts in school, with early education) is communicating in a foreign language: :
Communication in foreign languages broadly shares the main skill dimensions of
communication in the mother tongue: it is based on the ability to understand, express and
interpret concepts, thoughts, feelings, facts and opinions in both oral and written form
(listening, speaking, reading and writing) in an appropriate range of societal and cultural
contexts (in education and training, work, home and leisure) according to one's wants or
needs. Communication in foreign languages also calls for skills such as mediation and
intercultural understanding. An individual's level of proficiency will vary between the four
dimensions (listening, speaking, reading and writing) and between the different languages,
and according to that individual's social and cultural background, environment, needs
and/or interests.
Essential knowledge, skills and attitudes related to this competence:
Competence in foreign languages requires knowledge of vocabulary and functional
grammar and an awareness of the main types of verbal interaction and registers of
language. Knowledge of societal conventions, and the cultural aspect and variability of
languages is important.
Essential skills for communication in foreign languages consist of the ability to understand
spoken messages, to initiate, sustain and conclude conversations and to read, understand
and produce texts appropriate to the individual's needs. Individuals should also be able to
use aids appropriately, and learn languages also informally as part of lifelong learning.
A positive attitude involves the appreciation of cultural diversity, and an interest and
curiosity in languages and intercultural communication.
**** http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:32006H0962 (OJ L 394,
30.12.2006, pp. 10-18)
Having this key competence set as a common objective for all teachers and learners’
work, it is very clear to us that what we need to acquire through EFL classes is the ability to

communicate properly in the target language. Of course this is basically measured through
the help of the 4 skills: Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. Looking at their
definitions, all these skills mean being able to understand, create and send messages as
communication sequences, as shown in the above cited text.
EFL/ESL is taught all over the world and no matter the setting of the school and the
nationality of the teachers and learners, they all have a common framework to refer to, in
order to make sure everyone gets equal opportunities worldwide. Consequently, Romanian
teachers and students need to follow the same guidelines.
This is why any study related to the methods and techniques used for teaching English
comes down to the CEFR scale or its detailed skills mastery description.
****(Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching,
assessment
Structured overview of all, CEFR: All scales and skills)
Language use, embracing language learning, comprises the actions performed by
persons who as individuals and as social agents develop a range of competences, both
general and in particular communicative language competences. They draw on the
competences at their disposal in various contexts under various conditions and under
various constraints to engage in language activities involving language processes to
produce and/or receive texts in relation to themes in specific domains, activating those
strategies which seem most appropriate for carrying out the tasks to be accomplished. The
monitoring of these actions by the participants leads to the reinforcement or modification of
their competences.
Nevertheless, looking back at the European Parliament text **** http://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:32006H0962 (OJ L 394, 30.12.2006, pp.
10-18) in the last paragraph referring to the second key competence- communicating in a
foreign language- there is a very interesting idea: a positive attitude i nvolves the
appreciation of cultural diversity, and an interest and curiosity in languages and
intercultural communication. In short, this is a very important part of any learning-teaching
process: working with a positive attitude, maintaining it among students and keeping them
curious about what language and intercultural communication can bring new into their lives.

It can be said that lack of interest, boredom, inactivity or hyperactivity are all challenges
Romanian teachers and students are facing. Often, the results are leaving the “different”
student behind or facing discipline issues.
2.1 IDENTIFYING THE PROBLEM???
Some of the main "roots" of the most important difficulties and challenges Romanian
teachers and pupils have to deal with, come from one (or more) of the following situations:
•a)- inadequate or insufficient implementation of the CEFR ( Evaluation
Role of evaluation (Bocos, Evaluarea in invatamantul primar ) ) -synchronizing
national or local exams with the CEFR levels
•-evaluation – summative vs formative evaluation
•b)- traditional/modern teaching approaches and techniques (CLT, TBL, CLIL)
Modern interactive methods and strategies studied and implemented by Romanian
teachers during reform years/ Traditional methods used in Romanian educational
system
•c)- the little impact teachers have on SEN or “distracted” students – insufficient use
of the Multiple Intelligence’s theory and the matching types of activities for every
“intelligence” <===- lack of dynamics throughout the teaching process (minimizing
speaking activities in favor of writing)
•d)- the lack of new curricula or material resources in schools in order to carry out
successful activities involving the use of multimedia devices
•e)-different language structures on phonetic /word order/
morphological/semantic/syntactic/ pragmatic levels leading to confusions between
the 2 languages

a) SHORT INTRODUCTION INTO THE EFR
Traditionally, when students in the rural area wanted to go to a highschool with
intensive/bilingual English classes, they had difficulties resulting from the difference of
knowledge and practice when compared to the students who had studied in the city. Well,
this is not just a problem related to EFL teaching, but talking about this specifically, the high
level student from the country school would be the lower level student in the city class.
The same problem came up during LLP activities, where students and teachers from
different European countries had international meetings hosted by schools or training
centers with the common aim of communicating on various educational topics. The most
used language among them was usually English. This could be a moment when students of
quite similar ages could notice how different their English language aquisition could be.. or
how helpful this foreign language was to them. Of course, differences would come from
each people’s own language, phonological system, culture and civilization.
These differences and many more were roughly caused by the fact that each school,
each individual teacher, basically, taught the language in their own way, starting from the
same curricula (within one country’s educational system) or from the same
recommendations made by the British Council (in different countries). This is normal,
taking into consideration that each person is unique, not all students learn in the same way,
and the teachers‘ personality influences the teaching and learning style substantially from
one school to another. And the same teacher can teach in diferent ways, using diferent
methods and tasks when he/she meets different groups of students or in different educational
environmnents.
So, yes, teaching and learning are known to be very subjective activities.
But still, there were more situations in which difference in language levels was (and
can still be, maybe): students trying to enroll in foreign/international schools where a certain
level of English language aquisition was required. Some of the best students in their schools
or even regions would not pass the language tests. Another situation, related to the labour
market, came to almost similar results, well trained people not getting the targeted job
because of failing the language level test. All these were part of the greatest challenges faced
by teachers of English around the world: the lack of a common grading scale for all schools.

Even now, when the Council of Europe adopted the CEFR to be used on an international
regular basis, many teachers forget to refer to it when evaluating their students, leading to
situations like the ones presented above.
Trying to answer the question „What exactly does the CEFR do?“, we can reffer to the
definitions given by the Council of Europe when releasing this Common European
Framework of Refference:
The Common European Framework is intended to overcome the barriers to
communication among professionals working in the field of modern languages arising from
the different educational systems in Europe. It provides the means for educational
administrators, course designers, teachers, teacher trainers, examining bodies, etc., to
reflect on their current practice, with a view to situating and co-ordinating their efforts and
to ensuring that they meet the real needs of the learners for whom they are responsible. By
providing a common basis for the explicit description of objectives, content and methods,
the Framework will enhance the transparency of courses, syllabuses and qualifications,
thus promoting international co-operation in the field of modern languages. The provision
of objective criteria for describing language proficiency will facilitate the mutual
recognition of qualifications gained in different learning contexts, and accordingly will aid
European mobility. ( http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/Source/Framework_EN.pdf )

Together with the definitions and rationale of adopting such a laborious framework, the
European Council states a series of political objectives aimed at by the CEFR, when it
comes to modern languages teaching.
To equip all Europeans for the challenges of intensified international mobility and
closer co-operation not only in education, culture and science but also in trade and
industry.
 To promote mutual understanding and tolerance, respect for identities and cultural
diversity through more effective international communication.
 To maintain and further develop the richness and diversity of European cultural
life through greater mutual knowledge of national and regional languages,
including those less widely taught.

 To meet the needs of a multilingual and multicultural Europe by appreciably
developing the ability of Europeans to communicate with each other across
linguistic and cultural boundaries, which requires a sustained, lifelong effort to be
encouraged, put on an organised footing and financed at all levels of education by
the competent bodies.
To avert the dangers that might result from the marginalization of those lacking the
skills necessary to communicate in an interactive Europe.
(http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/Source/Framework_EN.pdf )
It is very clear, reading the fragments cited above, that using the CEFR in a proper way
can provide all teacher and students of modern languages in Europe with unitary scales for
language learning and evaluating one‘s level of „language aquisition“.
Even so, many Romanian teachers and students don’t seem to be too familiar with it and
are still struggling with old-fashioned teaching methods and techniques.
THE ROLE OF EVALUATION
Checking the objectives of the CEFR above, one can also see some of the real
functions of evaluation.
The term “evaluation” is of French origin, “valoir” meaning “to be worth”.
The everyday meaning of the word 'evaluate' is quite simple: to judge the worth of
something. This is a long-established usage, and it is hardly surprising that many people
assume that the task of the educational evaluator is to judge. Some evaluators do in fact
share this assumption, and a few would even argue that the evaluator has a right to expect
that his judgements would be reflected in resulting grades or measures. But there are others
who believe that the proper position of judgements of worth, and the responsibility for
taking them into account lie elsewhere.
Teachers' observations, students' experiences, and the review of related literature
indicate that language anxiety is a significant factor adversely affecting the language
learning process. Unlike the old ideas, that evaluation is the most stressful part of the

process of teaching, or that it can even be punnitive and an efficient discipline tool, it is now
the time to face the real role of evaluation.
In modern society, increasing emphasis on children‘ s personal and social education, as
well as their academic results, have influenced the development of a range of techniques for
assessing all phases of child growth and development, of student achievement, of behavior
and of the teaching-learning processes.
Due to the large number of factors that enter into teaching and learning including such
instructional variables as objectives, methods and techniques, and subject-matter on the one
hand; and such human variables as pupils and teachers, on the other, it has been difficult to
appraise the validity of the pupil’s achievement.
There is, therefore, a comparatively large subjective factor in the evaluation of teaching
and learning that needs to be taken into account together with its objective features.
It cannot be denied that the evaluation of teaching and learning is an exceedingly complex
activity. However, the efficiency of the teacher and the growth and achievement of the pupil
can be evaluated through the use of such devices as check lists, rating scales, and tests of
different aspects of teaching ability, interview, and questionnaires.
Through the use of such devices much valuable data may be gathered relative to many
of the important aspects of teaching and learning.
In the Glossaire de termes relatifs à l'évaluation et termes connexes (1987, pag. 3),
there is a „correcting“ definition of the evaluation process as "the operation aimed to
objectively and systematically determining the impact, efficiency and pertinance of
activities in relation to their objectives in order to improve the current activities on the one
hand and, on the other hand, to plan, program and decide future activities“.
A more pragmatical definition of evaluation (M.Q. Patton, 1987, pag. 15) states that
“The evaluation practise implies systematically collecting great deal of information
regarding the activities, characteristics and objectives of the programs, and have them used
by cretain specialists in order to reduce their degree of relativity, improve their efficiency
and decide on what these programs bring up and the realities they affect“.
From an instructional point of view, evaluation is " the action of collecting a pertinent,
valid, reliable information set related to learning and training activities, and also the action

of examining the degree of appropriateness between this set and a pertinent set of criteria
established in relation to the previously stated objectives of the training. Evaluating means
comparing a set of information with a set or pertinent criteria in order to make a decision "
(M. Bocoș, 2002, pag. 96).
As a whole active part of the curriculum, evaluation gets a special importance in building
and re-building the curriculum; it can have a short term, middle term and long term effect
and impact on evaluated, evaluators and other educational agents, as well as decision-
makers.
Any evaluation activity ends up with a judgement on the evaluated, who can be at the
moment on various points in his/her educational track. The gathered information can be of
various types, structured in various ways or shapes, and have various uses. Analysing it can
help us define 2 types of effects of the curriculum-evaluation, such as the feed-back effect
and the backwash effect.(A, Stoica, coord. 2001))
Self evaluation
Peer evaluation
Students‘ feedback
Summative- product evaluation
Formative –evaluation of the process
Traditional- tests
Alternative – portfolio, observation, project, investigation
Issues in classroom testing/ evaluation, as they are presented by Douglas Brown, have
their origin in the design of the communicative, performance based evaluation and are real
challenges to evaluators and teachers everywhere, so they are clearly challenges for
Romanian teachers, as well. Some of these issues are:
1. the effect of the MI theories,
2. appearance of “alternative assessment” and
3. “the increasing popularity of computer based testing” (Language Assessment, Principles
and Practice, 2003, pg11)
1. MI plus the more recent theory of Emotional Intelligence (Daniel Goleman, 1995) change
the way we look at standardized tests and traditionally teaching by the book, since more

than half of our students may need different and various activities in order to really
understand what is being taught and to respond to a formal test or they can be blocked by
negative emotions and thus miss test after test because of this EQ issue and not because of
lack of knowledge. All the different ways intelligence can be looked at urged evaluators to
start avoiding the term “objectivity” and start looking more at “ways to evaluate creative,
communicative, interpersonal skills”, and in doing so, they needed to pay attention to their
intuition and subjectivity.
2. Alternative assessment reflects changes in views regarding teaching and thus, they are
more contextualized and evaluate more genuine communicative abilities, encouraging
creativity. The table found in Brown’s “Language Assessment…” p.14 shows basically the
main traditional versus alternative evaluation activities, emphasizing the differences
between them.
Table 1. ,. Traditional and alternative assessment
Traditional Assessment
One-shot, standardized exams
Timed, multiple-choice formal
Decontextualized test items
Scores suffice for feedback
Norm-referenced scores
focus on the "right" answer
Summative
Oriented to product
Non-interactive performance
Fosters extrinsic motivationAlternative Assessment
Continuous !ong-term assessment
Untimed, free-response format
Contextualized communicative tasks
Individualized feedback and washback
Criterion-referenced scores
Open-ended, creative answers
Formative
Oriented to process
Interactive performance
Fosters intrinsic motivation
Taking a look at the table a Romanian teacher would think: HOW TO DO THOSE? ==>
teacher training, according to latest techniques and methods.
Although the alternative techniques look and feel more appropriate for the new modern
educational context that we want to create within our schools, Romanians still use largely
traditional evaluation forms.

b) WHAT IS OLD AND NEW WHEN IT COMES TO TEACHING?
b.1 CLASSICAL METHODS AND TYPES OF CLASSES
– GRAMMAR- TRANSLATION METHOD
– THE LECTURE CLASS
b.2 INTERACTIVE METHODS,MATERIALS AND TYPES OF CLASSES
TPR- use a variety of realia, posters, and props , TBL- drills, NLP- modeling, CLT
-Role-play
Interviews
Games
Surveys
Pair-work
Learning by teaching
English through music
English through stories
WEB 2.0 tools
FLIPPING CLASSES?
THE ROLE AND COMPETENCES OF CLASSICAL TEACHER/ THE MANY ROLES
OF THE MODERN TEACHER (5PGS+)
lecturer
facilitator
role model
planner
information provider
resource developer

assessor
artist- in differentiated classes
c) Thinking about my own classes, no secondary ones have the audio CD that should
have come with the book, so basic material resources regarding the given textbook are too
limited. The problem is more formal, based on the fact that any teacher could deliver
interactive moments, audio, video sections in their classes, but not when following the
textbook only. Here I admit my biggest challenge as a teacher: adjusting time resource and
material ones. I either teach by the book, improvising speaking and listening contents or
find my own texts with audio / video support over the internet and ignore the textbook. In
this case, any official control would take notice of the fact that according to the textbook we
said we would use, we haven’t done much/anything much. Usually, when we go by the
book, speaking is not very often used .????
The primary classes and teaching materials, on the other hand, have audio, video, all
skills included textbooks both in PDF (print format), or interactive versions. It looks like the
policy change in Romanian education is doing a great job for English teachers. That is, of
course, when/if there are computers with an internet connection available for being used
during classes, in all schools. And again, it also depends on each particular teacher, whether
they are able to use that online resource or not.
SHORT INTRODUCTION INTO THE Multiple intelligence's theory
In the modern era, it has always been a largely accepted idea that not all students in our
classroom have the same amount of attention or the same interests, abilities, strengths. Some
remember images easier, others understand through dialogue and interpersonal interaction,
while some may just need movement or music, rhythm to remember new contents easier.
According to Gardner…. There are 7 types / “signs” of intelligence which are natively
combined in every person’s brain:
Spatial-the ability to conceptualize and manipulate large-scale spatial arrays (e.g.
airplane pilot, sailor), or more local forms of space (e.g. architect, chess player).
Bodily-Kinesthetic – The ability to use one’s whole body, or parts of the body (like the
hands or the mouth), to solve problems or create products (e.g. dancer).
Musical- Sensitivity to rhythm, pitch, meter, tone, melody and timbre. May entail the

ability to sing, play musical instruments, and/or compose music (e.g. musical conductor).
Linguistic- Sensitivity to the meaning of words, the order among words, and the
sound, rhythms, inflections, and meter of words (e.g. poet). (Sometimes called language
intelligence.)
Logical-mathematical – The capacity to conceptualize the logical relations among
actions or symbols (e.g. mathematicians, scientists). Famed psychologist Jean Piaget
believed he was studying the range of intelligences, but he was actually studying logical-
mathematical intelligence.
Interpersonal- The ability to interact effectively with others. Sensitivity to others’
moods, feelings, temperaments and motivations (e.g. negotiator). (Sometimes called social
intelligence.)
Intrapersonal- Sensitivity to one’s own feelings, goals, and anxieties, and the capacity
to plan and act in light of one’s own traits. Intrapersonal intelligence is not particular to
specific careers; rather, it is a goal for every individual in a complex modern society, where
one has to make consequential decisions for oneself. (Sometimes called self intelligence.)
****http://multipleintelligencesoasis.org/about/the-components-of-mi/
****Larsen Freeman, Techniques and principles in Language Teaching
The difference is in the importance degree of each of them, as some people may learn
equally well using either of them, while others may find it very difficult to learn when using
the intelligence type that they don’t have prominently developed.
DEALING WITH DIFFERENT LEVELS IN THE SAME CLASS- THE
IMPORTANCE OF USING DIFFERENTIATED TEACHING METHODS
Carol Ann Tomlinson is one of the most prominent figures when talking about
differentiated learning. In her opinion, “ when an entire class moves forward to study new
skills and concepts without any individual adjustments in time or support, some students are
doomed to fail. Similarly, classrooms typically contain some students who can demonstrate
mastery of grade-level skills and material to be understood before the school year begins—
or who could do so in a fraction of the time we would spend “teaching” them. These

learners often receive an A, but that mark is more an acknowledgment of their advanced
starting point relative to grade-level expectations than a reflection of serious personal
growth. In a differentiated classroom, the teacher uses grade-level benchmarks as one tool
for charting a child’s learning path. However, the teacher also carefully charts individual
growth. Personal success is measured, at least in part, on individual growth from the
learner’s starting point—whatever that might be.” (Differentiated Classroom: Responding to
the Needs of All Learners, 2nd Edition)
d)- the lack of new curricula or material resources in schools in order to carry out successful
activities involving the use of multimedia devices
All teachers should follow the national curricula as they are evaluated according to it but
when it comes to teaching materials, each teacher is his/her own master. If we were to use
the materials provided by schools/ Ministry of Education, then almost no listening activities
would take place and all class time would be spent doing students’ book activities and
reading texts. In reality, every single teacher spends time and money on materials they can
use in order to make their lessons more attractive and engaging for the students. As Carol
Ann Tomlinson states in her Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All
Learners, 2nd Edition , all good teachers acknowledge the strong curriculum from the
beginning of the school year and then they ask themselves how to change it according to the
students’ needs and interests, so that at the end of the course all students can record their
piece of progress.
Teachers may outcome this piece of challenge then by simply preparing themselves more for
each lesson and classroom activity and
e)-different language structures on phonetic /word order/ morphological/semantic/syntactic/
pragmatic levels leading to confusions between the 2 languages
PRONUNCIATION
th – f
paw-cow
–ORTHOGRAPHY

students often write the word as they hear it, finding it difficult to follow English
rules: one- oan
mother- madar
–READING- PHONOLOGY
different phonetic systems- students often read following Romanian phonetic rules
–GRAMMAR
word order: they frequently misplace adjectives after nouns
number- use the plural form for adjective
3.METHODOLOGICAL RESEARCH
ABOUT THE RESEARCH
In order to acknowledge the starting point of this action research process, a very
important role was played by the reflection phase, during which EFL classes over the first
school weeks were carefully observed by the teachers in the Language and Communication
teacher workgroup from Scoala Gimnaziala nr 2 Boldesti-Scaeni. Their observations were
recorded in the school files and were then used for deciding the progress measures??
included in the school strategy for the 2016-2017 school year.
Summing up the observations and conclusions, the following chart could be created. (fig.
XX)

One of the conclusions and a progress measure to be carried out during this school
year would be improving students’ oral interaction- speaking and listening skills. It is one of
my personal observations as well, that even though all classes have at least one objective
regarding listening and speaking skills, they are sometimes unfulfilled because of the lack of
trust students have in themselves and, in order to not fall behind with the curriculum, I as a
teacher decide to work more on what they feel more comfortable doing reading
comprehension exercises, gap filling and chain reading. Just the classical classes I am trying
to avoid.
So, in order to improve the students speaking and listening skills, the research will
mainly focus on these oral reception and reproduction skills, rather than on written text
reception and production skills.
One of the important operations during the research would be quantifying the students’
results and accurately place their progress on the scale. This will be accomplished by
applying the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference) . The skills detailed in Row 1
Row 2
Row 3
Row 4

the A1-A2 and even B1 levels will be aimed at and used as targets for the students’
evolution throughout the research. The students’ grade level will not be of a big importance
here, since my aim is to make all students progress during the learning/teaching activities.
Talking about the CEFR standards, it is necessary to know them and have them detailed, as
they are presented in the Council of Europe leaflet: CEFR all skills and scales 2 :
A1 – A2+ levels
Global scales- according to the CEFR, A1 level students should prove the following
abilities and skills:
Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at
the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. Can introduce him/herself and others and
can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people
he/she knows and things he/she has. Can interact in a simple way provided the other
person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.
Listening: can recognize familiar words and very basic phrases concerning myself, my
family and immediate concrete surroundings when people speak slowly and clearly.
Reading: can understand familiar names, words and very simple sentences, for example on
notices and posters or in catalogues.
Spoken interaction : can interact in a simple way provided the other person is prepared to
repeat or rephrase things at a slower rate of speech and help me formulate what I'm trying to
say. I can ask and answer simple questions in areas of immediate need or on very familiar
topics.
Can make an introduction and use basic greeting and leave-taking expressions.
Can ask how people are and react to news.
Can understand everyday expressions aimed at the satisfaction of simple needs of a concrete
type, delivered directly
to him/her in clear, slow and repeated speech by a sympathetic speaker.
2(CEFR-all scales and all skills)

Written interaction: can write a short, simple postcard, for examples sending holiday
greetings. I can fill in forms with personal details, for
example entering my name, nationality and address on a hotel registration form.
Spoken production : can use simple phrases and sentences to describe where I live and
people I know.
Written production: can write simple isolated phrases and sentences.
A2: Can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most
immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local
geography, employment). Can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple
and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters. Can describe in simple
terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of
immediate need.
Listening: : can understand phrases and the highest frequency vocabulary related to areas of
most immediate personal relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information,
shopping, local geography, employment). I can catch the main point in short, clear, simple
messages and announcements
Reading: can read very short, simple texts. I can find specific, predictable information in
simple everyday material such as advertisements, prospectuses, menus and timetables and I
can understand short simple personal letters
Spoken interaction:
can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of
information on familiar topics and activities. I can handle very short social exchanges, even
though I can't usually understand enough to keep the conversation going myself.
Spoken production: can use a series of phrases and sentences to describe in simple terms my
family and other people, living conditions, my educational background and my present or
most recent job

B1: Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly
encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. Can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst
travelling in an area where the language is spoken. Can produce simple connected text on

topics, which are familiar, or of personal interest. Can describe experiences and events,
dreams, hopes & ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and
plans.
Listening: can understand the main points of clear standard speech on familiar matters
regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. I can understand the main point of many
radio or TV programmes on current affairs or topics of personal or professional interest
when the delivery is relatively slow and clear
Reading: can understand texts that consist mainly of high frequency everyday or job-related
language. I can understand the description of events, feelings and wishes in personal letters
Spoken interaction: can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area
where the language is spoken. I can enter unprepared into conversation on topics that are
familiar, of personal interest or pertinent to everyday life (e.g. family, hobbies, work, travel
and current events).
Spoken production: can connect phrases in a simple way in order to describe experiences
and events, my dreams, hopes & ambitions. I can briefly give reasons and explanations for
opinions and plans. I can narrate a story or relate the plot of a book or film and describe my
reactions.

B1
ThresholdThe ability to express oneself in a limited way in familiar situations and to
deal in a general way with non routine information.
Example: CAN ask to open an account at a bank, provided that the procedure
is straightforward.
All practice tests at this level
A2
WaystageAn ability to deal with simple, straightforward information and begin to
express oneself in familiar contexts.
Example: CAN take part in a routine conversation on simple predictable
topics.
All exams and practice tests at this level
A1
BreakthroughA basic ability to communicate and exchange information in a simple way.
Example: CAN ask simple questions about a menu and understand simple
answers.
http://www.examenglish.com/B1/B1_reading.htm
ACTION RESEARCH
Questions (puzzle area)
The main purpose of the present paper is finding out the answer to the following
questions:
What are the main EFL (difficulties and) challenges for Romanian students and
teachers?
How can these be minimized?
After putting together all the answers given by my fellow teachers and by my students,
together with my personal notes, the main difficulties and challenges in Romanian schools
appear to be the ones issued and detailed in chapter 2.1:
a)- inadequate or insufficient implementation of the CEFR
b)- traditional/modern teaching approaches and techniques (CLT, TBL, CLIL)

c)- the little impact teachers have on SEN or “distracted” students – insufficient use of
the Multiple Intelligence’s theory and the matching types of activities for every
“intelligence” <===- lack of dynamics throughout the teaching process (minimizing
speaking activities in favor of writing)
d)- the lack of new curricula or material resources in schools in order to carry out
successful activities involving the use of multimedia devices
e)-different language structures on phonetic /word order/
morphological/semantic/syntactic/ pragmatic levels leading to confusions between the 2
languages
– psychological- blocking themselves out of fear of failure: “I’m not good atEnglish”/ etc
–PRONUNCIATION
th – f
paw-cow

–LISTENING
not understanding all words they hear (Set sail4, Revision and assessment- the listening
exercise asking them to draw lines showing where some objects would be placed in a room:
being related to the newly taught vocabulary- objects in a house, prepositions of place- the
most common mistake is confusing under/between
–SPEAKING
lack of vocabulary
shyness
conversations-
prep grade- 3nd grade students have used conversational dialogues almost every week during
their classes and can now interact easily,
while 5th-8th grade students are not as easygoing when it comes to producing oral messages.
They need more exercising
–ORTHOGRAPHY

students often write the word as they hear it, finding it difficult to follow English
rules
mother- madar

–READING- PHONOLOGY
different phonetic systems- students often read following Romanian phonetic rules
–VOCABULARY
isolated words and phrases- can't make up for a more consistent oral interaction
–GRAMMAR
word order: they frequently misplace adjectives after nouns
number- use the plural form for adjective
categories: "-s/es" ending – confusing plural nouns with 3rd person singular of verbs
Hypothesis: (refined thinking about the puzzle area)
It is very common nowadays to look for more interactive and captivating ways of
teaching, given the evolution of the society and students worldwide. They have smaller
attention spans, often develop ADHD or various learning difficulties, many of these causing
students in traditional classes to fail. Looking further than purely scientific challenges like
grammar, pronunciation, orthography and so on, the real problem that appears to stand in the
way of Romanians, is handling students’ personalities effectively and guiding them all
towards a better understanding and progress.
Starting from this point, the hypothesis of this paper is that u sing the theory of
multiple intelligence, differentiated strategies and interactive techniques in teaching
and evaluating students might minimize the impact that difficulties and challenges
have on EFL teaching and learning for Romanian teachers and students.

Context (particular aspect to focus on)
Students in Scoala Gimnaziala nr 2 Boldesti-Scaeni studying English as a foreign
language are the ones that are being monitored and tested during the school year 2016-2017,
after a reflection process involving the teachers and manager of the school and self-
reflection carried out during the first part of Semester1.
The action research study was undertaken on 2 student groups: 10 students in the 7th
grade (13 years old) and 10 students in the 8th grade (aged 14-16), in order to observe and
compare their evolution using different course books, a different methodological routine at
different ages.
All students involved in this research come from the same area- Boldesti-Scaeni town
village, situated 15 km far from the city of Ploiesti and 70 km from Bucharest. They have
almost similar social backgrounds-parents with medium studies(high school) most of them
working in the industrial field (tailoring and/or oil). Each group has got an equal number of
male and female students( 5+5).
Working procedure
In all secondary classes placement tests- initial tests were run up at the beginning of the
school year. All students in the target groups were equally tested following a level setting
test Cambridge exam pattern- http://www.cambridgeenglish.org/test-your-english/ , and then
the results were collected and interpreted. (Brown, Language assessment- Principles and
Classroom Practice )
Analyzing the results without taking into consideration the formal placing- into grades-, the
following diagram resulted:

It looks like most of the students in grades 5th-8th meet the requirements for A1 level
In the 6th grade some of the students – 1/7- solved the A2 tasks correctly and so did about
1/5 of the 7th grade students and 1/9 of the 8th graders.
B1 can only be reached by 1/10 of the 7th graders and 1/9 of the 8th graders.
Challenges for teachers were revealed by applying questionnaires to a group of 27 EFL
teachers from Prahova, Suceava and Buzau counties, working both in countryside schools
and city schools. In order to find out students’ difficulties in learning English,
questionnaires were applied to 60 students from Scoala Gimnaziala nr 2 Boldesti-Scaeni.
Next stage- using various teaching methods and techniques one by one, and monitoring their
effects.
The evaluation process of the degree to which these methods and techniques were successful
was enhanced by the teacher through direct observation of students’ behavior during
classroom activities. A …chart ( instrument) was used for each of the methods used.Row 1Row 2Row 3Row 4024681012
Column 1
Column 2
Column 3

Students were also an active part of the evaluation process, offering their feedback after
each class.
Sample observation chart
Sample feedback form (filled in by students involved in the research)
Methods used so far &impact
TBL Drills VII dialogues – inviting and accepting/refusing GOOD
substitution drills I am going to the post office/ market/school/restaurant etc
I am feeling ok / she/he
transformation drills He is going to the post office/ Is he…?
chain drills all grades,goes well but discipline issues (what’s your name? My name
is… and next pers)
Q/A drills Are you going to the market? /yes/no, I am (not) going to the…
(showing pictures of the places)
DESUGGESTOPEDIA techniques: music, art, dramatization, new identities for the course,
playfulness
tape recording students conversation- ComLL
Human computer -ComLL
CLT
CBL
groupwork VII, not good, kids got too competitive=> COOPERATIVE
LEARNING needed!
pairwork I, VII GOOD

teaching through music VIII B,VII irregular verbs- fluency MC GOOD
TPR Prep G commands, action songs
VIII B Hokey pokey shake- body parts Very GOOD
Flipped classroom VII Indefinite/definite article confuse, shy
Verbs without an ING form more confident, but still shy
DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION
For the 2016-2017 school year a number of differentiating techniques were used throughout
the EFL classes and the result could be observed at the end of each session.
a)
The younger the learners the more physical activity they tend to need and the more they
need to make use of all their senses (Brewster, Ellis and Girard, 2003). According to Berman
(1998) if children can draw or visualize an image, hum it or move through it first, they may
be able to more easily talk or write about it. On the basis of the theory of multiple
intelligences in this regard, children can also draw a picture while listening to a description,
act out a nursery rhyme, follow instructions or make a shape or simple model while they
listen to a description of it. This draws on learning by the ear and eye and is good for those
with bodily-kinaesthetic intelligence.
More than just words!! Most activities for the younger learners should include movement
and involve the senses, colours and sounds. You will need to have plenty of objects and
pictures to work with, and to make full use of the school and classroom and your
surroundings. Demonstrate what you want them to do. The balance will change as the
children get older, but appealing to the senses, colours, sounds, and movements will always
help the pupils to learn (Scott and Ytreberg, 1990).
children telling jokes. Five year olds laugh because everybody esle does, but they do
not always understand the joke. If they are asked to re-tell the joke, it will be nonsense.
Seven-year-olds think jokes are funny and they learn them off by heart. This means that they
often get the punch line wrong or have to be prompted. Ten and eleven-year-olds remember
jokes and can work out the punch line from the situation. The system of language and the

understanding of it seems to fall into place for many children in the same way (Scott and
Ytreberg, 1990). Students, in this regard, can create puppets and then tell jokes to their
peers. They can also compose a song for the joke and then act out the joke in the classroom.
In this way, “jokes not only practise language but also encourage children to think”
(Brewster, Ellis and Girard, 2003)
Let the pupils talk to themselves. Make them play with the language by making up
rhymes, singing songs, telling stories, etc. in the classroom (Scott and Ytreberg, 1990).
Children love songs, rhymes, stories and chants and their repetitive nature and rhythm make
them an ideal vehicle for language learning (Brewster, Ellis and Girard, 2003).
Encouraging children to clap the beat as they go along or say rhymes will help to develop a
sense of rhythm in English. Additionally, pupils draw (or colour) pictures of songs, rhymes
and chants: they can also act out the songs, rhymes and chants and then apply those to new
atmospheres. As can be seen, according to Brewster et al. (2003), songs, rhymes and chants
can contribute to the child's global development in many different ways. The main overall
purpose, however, is that singing, chanting and acting together is fun and it stimulates the
child’s sense of humour. So this helps children play with the target language in humorous
and funful environmnt.
Cooperation not Competition
The ideology of the theory of Multiple Intelligences is based on "cooperation" not on
competition. So because of this reason, avoid prizes and awards in the class. In this regard,
according to Scott and Ytreberg (1990), make room for shared experiences – they are an
invaluable source of language work and create an atmosphere of involvement and
togetherness. Most of us enjoy the feeling of belonging and this is particularly true of young
children.
Group the children together whenever and wherever posible. This does not mean that they
have to work in groups all the time, but most children like to have other children around
them, and also sitting with others encourages cooperation. Genuine cooperative pairwork or
group work is usually the result of a long process (Scott and Ytreberg, 1990). Also, working
with dialogues with pairs or groups is a useful way to develop the cooperative atmosphere in
the classroom. Pupils with their own peers can colloborately work in the classroom. They
can draw pictures, compose songs, rhymes and chants, play games (word, card games, vs.),

act out drama, etc. together. So with this way, pupils do not afraid of a possible failure, or on
the contrary of that, they work out in a fearless and reinforcing atmosphere in the classroom
so that “learning” materialises in a natural way.
Songs and Rhymes
Very often, the rhymes developed in stories are to be found in various songs and rhymes
(Brewster, Ellis and Girard, 2003). Pupils can also compose songs for the storybook(s) they
have read and then sing the song they have composed in the classroom.
Children like songs, and they learn a lot of songs in their mother tongue anyways; hence, it
is a medium that children are very comfortable with. Songs and music can add variety to the
class. A song hides the nature of exercises making them look like fun when in reality
students are working with the language in the way we want them to (Ersoz et al. 2006).
The use of songs is flexible. A song can be used in any stage of the class: as a presentation
tool, as a practice exercise or as a production activity.
Vocabulary Activities
Pupils can create their own "picture dictionary", based on words from the stories they have
read or heard. They can work individually or pool their efforts to illustrate the words, either
by drawing pictures or by cutting pictures out of magazines or catalogues. They can choose
whether to arrange the words alphabetically or thematically (Brewster, Ellis and Girard,
2003). Pupils can also create card games in order to learn the newly learnt vocabulary. Also,
pictures, cards, and other sorts of materials can be used to present the vocabulary.
Drama
Pupils can act out the story in the storybooks or song they have read or listened to. They can
organise a place and write, if they want, a different end for the story and then perform the
story in the classroom. The pupils can also compose a song for the story and sing it in some
parts of the drama if they wish.
Using drama and drama activities has clear advantages for language learning. It encourages
children to speak and gives them the chance to communicate, even with limited language,
using non-verbal communication, such as body movements and facial expressions. Drama
involves children at mant leves, through their bodies, minds, emotions, language, and social
interactions (Ersoz et al. 2006: 58).
Games
Students may wish to play games purely for fun. Teachers, however, need to make sure that

whatever done in the classroom is for teaching and learning purposes (Ersoz et al. 2006).
Teachers can use of games in order to create a valuable atmosphere and develop students'
linguistic awareness. In this regard, students can create games (such as card games, vs.) on
the basis of the storybook or song thay have read or listened to. Pupils can be put in three or
four (or more) groups and each group develops a new game and then introduces their games
to the class. A pupil from each group joins a different group in the class and learns the game
and then returns to his/her own group and teaches the game to their friends in the group.
DE RESCRIS/REFORMULAT!!

APPENDIX
TESTS:
LISTENING
A1
From the YLE practice tests

Students had to place items around the room by drawing lines from their image to the
specific place described on the audio track.
SPEAKING test:
Speak about your pet or an animal you would like to have as a pet.
Speaking –
Analytical scales
1) Discourse management 40 marks – relevance if ideas 10 marks – coherence and cohesion
10 marks – time constraints 10 marks – fluency 10 marks
2) Grammatical resource 20 marks – accuracy 10 marks – range of structures 10 marks
3) V ocabulary resource 20 marks – appropriacy 10 marks – range 10 marks
4) Pronunciation 20 marks – pronunciation and intonation 10 marks – stress and rhythm 10
marks
Total 100 marks