PENTRU OBȚINEREA GRADULUI DIDACTIC I COORDONATOR ȘTIINȚIFIC : Lect.univ.dr. NADIA-NICOLETA MORĂRAȘU CANDIDAT : Prof. ADINA M. ANDONE (ROMAN)… [307273]

[anonimizat] I

COORDONATOR ȘTIINȚIFIC :

Lect.univ.dr. NADIA-NICOLETA MORĂRAȘU

CANDIDAT: [anonimizat]. ADINA M. ANDONE (ROMAN)

SPECIALIZAREA:

LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

BACĂU

2018

[anonimizat] :

Lect.univ.dr. NADIA-NICOLETA MORĂRAȘU

CANDIDAT: [anonimizat]. ADINA M. ANDONE (ROMAN)

BACĂU

2018

[anonimizat]?

We live in a [anonimizat], intercultural communication; [anonimizat] a foreign language has become a necessity for all the people who are willing to integrate themselves into a multicultural, multilingual world and for the students who have the chance to a better life, a new mentality and attitude towards their professional skills.

English plays a [anonimizat] a successful career in every European country and not only.

The reason for my choosing to write about the importance of mass media tools in teaching and learning English is that I have always considered media usage in the classroom a challenge for both the students and the teacher. I strongly believe that it is necessary that students and teachers know how to use different media through diverse technologies. [anonimizat]’ and students’ needs and interests. My paper offers a [anonimizat], dynamism, interactive activities that have the role to build the confidence of the students and motivate them to learn English.

[anonimizat]: s/he is more than a source of information for the student: [anonimizat], nowadays, [anonimizat], [anonimizat], [anonimizat]. [anonimizat], familiarizing themselves with innovating techniques that are quite different from the traditional ones.

[anonimizat] 15 and 19, are very fond of everything that is new in the classroom. Media are exactly what they need at English classes. I [anonimizat].

I have chosen to write this paper because I consider that media tools offer students a [anonimizat], radio, TV, newspapers, [anonimizat], listening and writing skills. Mass media use also entertains and encourages students to read English inside and outside the classroom by offering them the confidence and the motivation of continuing reading English outside the classroom. [anonimizat], role-plays, debates on a [anonimizat] a [anonimizat].; [anonimizat] a high standard of the language.

The paper comprises four chapters which deal with using mass-media tools in teaching and learning English at high-school level. The first two chapters present theoretical information about teaching and learning English in Romanian schools and teaching English through mass media tools. The third chapter deals with the experimental research that is meant to prove the efficacy of using media tools at English classes and encouraging students to become enthusiastic learners, as motivated students lead to proficiency in using the English language. There will be two 10th grade groups of students as subjects (the experimental and the control group) and the research will try to determine to what extent introducing modern teaching techniques through mass media have made a difference in students in the experimental group compared to the progress made throughout the same period of time by the control group exposed only to traditional teaching techniques. The fourth chapter presents the tests taken by the students and analyzed in order to decide whether the hypothesis of the experiment can be validated.

Chapter I.Introduction

I.1. Teaching and learning English language in Romanian schools

Perhaps more than many other activities, language teaching reflects the moments it takes place in. Language means communication, after all, and maybe that is why philosophies and techniques for learning foreign languages seem to grow and change in tune with the societies which give importance to them. According to Jeremy Harmer, “teaching and learning are very human activities; they are social just as much as they are linguistic”.

English as a foreign language is taught in Romanian schools and plays an important role in social or national life. The teaching of modern languages in schools has an educational purpose, and the learner who deliberately takes up learning English has a clear intention: he wants to visit foreign countries, to be able to talk to English-speaking friends or tourists and to be able to read English in newspapers, magazines and books.

Nowadays, multilingualism has become more than just important. It is extremely beneficial to know a foreign language other than your mother tongue. Irrespective of the financial or social aspect, being able to communicate in a foreign language facilitates a real relation with people and offers a better understanding of your language. Knowing a foreign language offers the possibility to communicate across frontiers or with people who are not one’s countrymen; listening to broadcast, reading books, newspapers, magazines, commerce or travel, for example. Foreign language study in all countries of the world is, today, more necessary than before. The extensive development of the relations among states, international collaboration and cooperation, the informational development in all fields of science, technology and tourism are only some of the factors which determine the necessity.

In today’s world, we are witnesses to the greatest changes in the history of studying languages, especially of the English language. If, some time ago, foreign languages were known by few people as a symbol of their good education that offered them the possibility to integrate in society, nowadays, they are being studied by people working in all fields of activity. Learning a foreign language opens up employment opportunities. Romanian students want to study English because they consider it gives a chance for advancement in their professional lives. They will have the possibility to get a better job than if they only know their native language. Therefore, learning English language is not a matter of choice but a necessity. From Jeremy Harmer’s point of view,a good user of a foreign language is that person who is understood by the others and who can understand their interlocutors, comprehension being the aim and not perfection. According to him, English is the international language of communication due to its use in social life by more and more people and it is also prominent in business, education world news and communication. Because English is so widely spoken, it has often been referred as a world language and, while it is not an official language in most countries, it is currently the language most often taught as a foreign language in schools. It enjoys a high prestige in the whole world. The role and status of English language is that of being the language of social context, political, socio-cultural, business, education, media, library, communication across borders and key subject in curriculum and language of imparting education.

A large number of students in our country study English because it is on the school curriculum. For many of them, English is something that their parents want them to be taught. For others, learning a language is something they feel neutral about. It is worth underlining the importance of learning English for students that live in a target language community. That means a community where people speak the language the student is studying; it is a necessity for the students to learn English so that they can continue to live in that community. Students are, in general, drawn to the culture of the community they live in and they learn the language because they want to know more about the customs and the traditions of that place. By getting acquainted with the culture of the people whose language the pupils are learning, they enlarge considerably their general knowledge. At the same time, the possibility of presenting the economic and cultural realities of our country to people abroad in a foreign language develops their feelings of pride and safety.

Acknowledging that many English students need the language for specific useful purposes has conducted to the teaching of ESP – English for Specific Purposes. Therefore, the proliferation of courses and materials designed to teach English for science, agriculture, medicine, engineering and so on. Students of English for Specific Purposes may have a need to study legal language, or the language of banking, tourism or nursing for example. A popular thread of ESP is the teaching of business English, where learners acquire how to use English in the business world. Other students need English for Academic Purposes in order to access English-language academic texts, or because they need to learn at an English-speaking university or college. Indeed, the more varied the learning of English becomes, the more it resembles training and the less it is part of the instructional process. In the past few years, socio-linguistic researchers have made educators more conscious of language purposes and, therefore, have made clearer one level of language teaching goals with greater accuracy.

Why is English taught in schools? The main fields of the school curriculum are the instruments by which the person grows into a more contributory, safer member of society. By studying English, we realize that there are other manners of saying things, other patterns of emphasis, other ways of thinking. English language, by its composition, includes certain modalities of thinking about time, space and quantity; it embodies feelings towards animals, sport, the sea, relations between the sexes; it also expresses a generalized English learners’ world view. By functioning in English, then, we look into the world from a slightly different structure and standpoint. Some of the educational results of English language learning are acquired in the first months of study, although, obviously, having a ‘feel’ for the foreign language, together with the impact on the learner’s aesthetic, affective, and perceptual development, is a function of the growing experience of its written and spoken forms. Clearly, the wider aims behind foreign language teaching are rarely something of which the learner is conscious and modern needs for learner selected aims are not without danger to the fundamental processes of education.

In Romania, the educational system has opened wide perspectives of learning English to a large number of pupils, working people, students and university graduates. Therefore, the English language is taught:

as a first or second language in most primary and secondary schools beginning with the second form, two or three classes per week;

in all high schools, as first or second foreign language, for two, three, four or even seven classes a week for intensive and bilingual classes;

in most universities and faculties, as a compulsory discipline;

in post-university courses, for graduates who need it for special purposes;

in extension courses for working people who want to learn it as a necessity or for pleasure.

Romania is a country of the European Union and having advanced knowledge of English is a huge advantage for my students who consider that learning English represents the first step to a better future, a challenge which has given them a whole new perspective of life. Romanian teenagers tend to agree that English confers them confidence, improves their imagination and general knowledge, finding it fantastic to be able to express their ideas and inner feelings in a new version, completely different from their native language.

In conclusion, English means the opportunity to have a better job, to study abroad, to come into contact with another culture and civilization, the computer and the internet where they can socialize, communicate, make friends all over the world, the possibility to develop their personality. Learning English these days can and should be fun if there is empathy and good communication between the teacher and his/her students.

I.2. Motivational factors for different language levels

One of the more complex matters of English language learning and teaching has been to explain and apply the construct of motivation in the classroom. According to dictionary definition “motivation is the extent to which you make choices about goals to pursue and the effort you will devote to that pursuit”. H.D. Brown underlined in Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy concerning English language study that motivation is the difference between success and failure; if the students feel motivated, they will learn, and if not, they will not. Students and teachers use widely the word ‘motivation’ when they speak about language learning success and failure. Motivation has been considered as both emotion and cognition; it has been used as a stable variable of individual difference and a temporary state attribute and it has even been characterized as a process that is in constant flow.

Professionals involved in language teaching often state that students who really desire to learn will succeed no matter the situations in which they study. All teachers can think of circumstances in which some “motivated” learners manage better than others; students are frequently successful in what appear to be not favorable conditions; they have success in spite of using techniques that experts consider not satisfactory. In this way, it would be reasonable to say that the motivation the students bring to class is the most important unique factor affecting their success. Language learners who feel motivated achieve short-term goals and also, long-term goals. Long-term goals might deal with a desire to get a better job or a wish to communicate with people of a target language community. Short-term goals might have something to do with things like wanting to finish a unit in a book or wanting to pass a test at the end of a semester.

Motivation has been viewed as an internal factor to the learner (e.g. curiosity or interest) and an external factor determined by the sociopolitical setup of the learner’s environment. Harmer in his book The Practice of English Language teaching separated motivation into two main categories:intrinsic motivation that is preoccupied with what takes place inside the classroom and extrinsic motivation which is concerned with factors outside the classroom. Which form of motivation is more powerful? Abraham Maslow claimed that intrinsic motivation is definitely superior to extrinsic one. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, we are ultimately motivated to acquire self-actualization once community needs, the basic physical, and safety are met. No matter what extrinsic reward is absent or present, we will strive for fulfillment and self-esteem.

There are many factors that have a great impact on a learner’s stage of extrinsic motivation and most of these have in common his or her attitude to the language. If student’s attitude will be influenced by those around in a negative way then, his or her motivation will be affected negatively. If the learner is encouraged with the language, the motivation will be positive. Intrinsic motivation also plays an important role in most students’ success or failure as language learners. Many students do not bring extrinsic motivation to the classroom. Probably they have negative feelings concerning language learning. What happens in the classroom will be of vital importance to them in supplying motivation and determining their attitude to the language. Zoltan Dornyei and Csizer Kata elaborated a set of ten items for motivating learners. These items concentrate on what a teacher can do to stimulate intrinsic motivation:

be a personal example with your own behavior;

promote learner independence;

create a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere in the classroom;

familiarize learners with the target language culture;

increase the learners’ linguistic self-confidence;

illustrate the tasks properly;

develop a good relationship with the learners;

increase the learners’ goal-orientation;

make the language classes interesting;

personalize the learning process.

Intrinsic motivation is not the only determiner of success for a language learner. No matter how hard you try or how much you wish to achieve something, you may not succeed for a number of other reasons. But if the students in the classroom are offered the chance to ‘do’ language for their own personal reason of acquiring competence and independence, this means that the learners will have a better opportunity of success than if they become dependent on external rewards for their motivation.

Knowing exactly why or how my students are motivated means finding out their feelings about studying English at the beginning of a course. It is less probable that all learners will have the same motivation in the classroom and as it has been already mentioned that motivation is a mixture of different factors.

In Romania, students are organized in classes of different language levels, depending on the years of studying the English language but also on students’ ages, and the course books are chosen depending on their grades: for high school from 9th grade (14-15 years old) to 12th grade (18-19 years old). The Ministry of Education established fixed rules for these levels and the syllabuses have guidance which helps teachers in planning the lessons. The common structure of these levels starts with Beginner and continues with Elementary, Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate, Upper Intermediate, Post Intermediate, Advanced and Proficient. In high school, students are supposed to start the 9th grade by studying Intermediate course books, in the 10th grade Upper Intermediate course books, in the 11th grade Advanced ones, continuing the levels until the 12th grade with the Proficient level. Because English is so widely used, being a global international language, a standardization of the language practice and utilization has become imperative. Thus, The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, abbreviated CEFR (learning, teaching and assessment) is a guide, a framework of reference which helps learners check their achievements in studying English. It was elaborated to provide an obvious, coherent and comprehensive basis for the conceiving of language syllabuses and curriculum guidelines, the design of teaching and learning materials, and the assessment of foreign language proficiency. It was developed in order to try and set clear, attainable and achievable standards at different levels of language learning for European languages.

There have been designed six reference levels of foreign language proficiency by CEFR: A (English Basic User), B (English Independent User), C (English Proficient User), which can be divided into six levels: A1 (Beginner) and A2 (Elementary English), B1 (Intermediate English) and B2 (Upper intermediate), C1 (Advanced English) and C2 (Proficiency/Nearly native speaker).

These levels are internationally applied; when Romanian students want to study abroad they need to have a good level of English in order to be accepted in schools and universities. It is known that in Romania we have some levels in Baccalaureate, starting with A1 (the lowest level), A2, B1, B2 (the best level) and there are some universities which take into account their Certification of competences, especially when they are of B2 level.

David Riddle in the book Teach English as a Foreign Language, suggests that a class labeled as ‘elementary’ could include learners of different levels; a teacher should know that the labels are simply guides to the general and approximate levels of students in a class; the students may be better at some aspects of the language as speaking or reading. The teacher should adapt the way of teaching using relevant materials required to the exact level of the class, bearing in mind that possible intermediate students may be better than the others. The lesson should not be planned only to fulfill the needs of the lowest levels because the better students might feel irritated and disappointed. The educator should have in mind that s/he teaches the whole class and not separate groups. Even if it implies hard work, the weaker students will improve their skills, will progress and will reach the desired level.

To conclude, students should feel motivated towards their own education and encouraged to be very realistic about their level and heartened to develop their abilities and skills in using the English language, guiding them in their self-study. As educators, we should find proper activities, appropriate for students’ level, to stimulate their interest and realize the important effect success has on motivation.

I.3. Introducing media tools in the teaching-learning process

Motto: “We live in a world where media are omnipresent: an increasing number of people spend a great deal of time watching television, reading newspapers and magazines, playing records and listening to the radio. The school and the family share the responsibility of preparing the young person living in a world of powerful images, words and sounds.” (UNESCO Declaration of Media Education, 1982)

The most general method to teach and learn foreign languages is the use of course books. Although the present times offer us another possibilities to use while learning, such as mass media tools. The use of newspapers, radio, TV or Internet (online media) might be a choice to typical English teaching and learning process. Media are present all over the world. Nowadays, mass media tools exist in almost everyone’s daily activities – one cannot imagine having breakfast without reading a newspaper or another person can be ready to leave home with the rhythm of a song on the radio. This shows the enormous impact that media have on people’s lives. Media do not influence only people’s morning habits, but they can be also good teaching and learning tools.

Is education without media imaginable? In fact, it is our statement that media have always been inextricably related to the processes of teaching and learning, both in formal and informal contexts. I would explain this opinion by giving the following example: a mother teaches her boy the meaning of the word ‘hot’ by leading him to lightly touch a hot kettle. In a similar way, teachers have always made use of different tools and aids to represent the knowledge or to demonstrate the skills they would like their students to acquire. Educators have always intuitively looked for using objects from their environment, or even produce and design specialized tools to heighten their teaching practice or to provide students with enriching learning experience. In our century, education and media go hand in hand. It seems to be more pleasant when English knowledge/understanding is obtained using media tools: language authenticity, entertainment and confidence to learn more are provided.

To use different varieties of media in the classroom has always been a challenge. But, how to bring media tools in the classroom is more than a challenge. Teachers and learners should know how to use various media through diverse technologies. Media instruments offer educators and learners as well practical and creative ideas for accomplishing different tasks. They also give ability to teachers to meet various interests and needs of their students. These instruments are very efficient in the classroom; by using them the students are provided with language practice through activities that involve the usage of newspapers, radio, magazines, TV, books, Internet and assignments that develop writing, reading, listening and speaking skills. These tools encourage and please students’ reading English in general, inside and outside the classroom, promoting extensive reading by offering learners the motivation, the trust and the ability to go on with reading outside the classroom. Therefore, boredom may appear in the classroom during lessons when working with a course book but this might be avoided. According to Shirley Biagi, in Media/Impact, as the media “inform, amuse, startle, entertain, thrill, but very seldom leave anyone untouched” the lesson is possible to be focused on mass media tools. Moreover, all media components may please all types of learners, which is not always possible while teaching with a course book. As teachers, we should understand the mass media, the messages they provide and their impact on us, how to examine this very plentiful information and make a series of the liveliness media create in the life of people and why not in the classroom where learners spend much of their time.

Educators should make lessons attractive and interesting for the students and give them the possibility to exchange their ideas on certain topics freely. That is why, a teacher should always be prepared with solutions to all students’ communication problems. Some students may feel embarrassed or ashamed to communicate or speak English in front of their classmates. A possible answer of helping them to speak more would be the introducing of the media tools. They motivate them to interact, provide huge information and help them bring together speaking, listening, reading and writing skills through different kinds of tasks and activities. Media instruments offer a valuable learning experience in the classroom. They are useful for presenting a lesson, letting the students to see examples of what they are studying. According to the report Benefits and Risks of Media and Technology in the Classroom from the UCLA Office of Instructional, the learners observe media as something that are exciting learning instruments that make studying entertaining and less boring.

Media education is very useful because it grows learners’ imaginative powers for those sounds, images and words that come to them from different media. Thus, creating critical and more energetic media users, that will always be more demanding in the time to come. Media Education is related with television, radio and printed press, their influence on the learners’ progress. It has something to do with what to teach by using media tools, when and how. The purpose of Media Education is to make students able to develop critical analyzing, thinking and reflecting on their actions while using different media instruments.

As I have mentioned before mass media have a great impact on people and it is almost impossible to live without them. On the way to school, we may buy a newspaper and look quickly at the headlines. At school, we may go to the library and seek information in a book or magazine for our research project. At home we may watch television programmes or listen to a favourite radio broadcast for a while. All these actions are related to a medium, a channel of communication. Books, magazines, newspapers, television, on-line media are called mass media and all these come to people at one time.

In spite of the critical ideas of the media, most considerate persons agree that media do a superior task in informing and transmitting the news to people. It is our job as educators to offer help to students and to make them understand the information and to try to use it for various purposes in education. At present, the information we have is rich and it reaches us through various sources. What we should do as teachers is to know how to take advantage of this information, how to study certain specific issues, how to become aware of resources, problems and chances and how to recognize the points that have an influence on our lives. Nowadays, it is easy to get the information but it is hard to choose and probably harder to bring it to the classroom.

In conclusion, by using different kinds of media tools in the classroom we can facilitate students’ understanding and enhance it where necessary. A TV picture not only tells a hundred of words but it gives the learners the possibility of developing their imagination, their thinking and observation abilities. Listening to the radio helps students study better. Mass media instruments provide with many issues as clarity, motivation, variety, updating information in the textbooks, drafting, mixed-ability classes, methods and procedures, thus improving students’ fluency and accuracy. But, no matter how sophisticated these media tools might be, educators will never be replaced. They will always be there in the classroom guiding the students and ready to fulfill all learners’ needs.

CHAPTER II. MASS MEDIA TOOLS IN TEACHING AND LEARNING ENGLISH AT HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL

II.1. What are the media? Definition

On the average, people spend more time each day with the mass media tools than without them. In today’s society they are ready to inform you every waking hour. When was the last we spent a single day without the media? From the time we wake up until the moment we go to bed in the evening, mass media are present to keep you well-informed and be sure we are entertained. Starting with the definition that mass media mean ‘technology that is intended to reach a mass audience being the primary means of communication used to reach the vast majority of the general public’, we realize that nowadays they are, in fact, everywhere we are.

In his book Media Today: An Introduction to Mass Communication, Joseph Turrow explains where the term “media” comes from. According to him, for most people, the word “medium” meant a person who predicted the future or a palm reader, not a publication; the term ‘media’ was just an indefinite Latin plural of the word “medium”;later, modern advertising appeared and a sense of media did not have anything to do with supernatural; advertisers started to speak of spotting ads in various media; the new instruments of communication were print – newspapers, magazines and journals –and, soon their collective word was immediately in place: publications; but then, this term was not fit to radio and television; having a need to include all these means of communication in one word, writers borrowed media from the advertisers and have utilized it since then to put all the tools together even newer means of communication such as Internet.

Books, magazines, newspapers, radio, television and Internet, all of these tools affect our culture, our education, our buying habits and our politics. They are affected in turn by changes in our tastes, beliefs, behaviours and interests. The news on radio and television offers you the most important headlines of the day and may provide you with information on traffic. Magazines describe the latest fashion trends, new video games and guide us how to plan your next trip. Should we choose to do our homework or take our favourite author’s latest novel to read? Or, maybe w should use the Internet to send a message to your overseas friend while downloading some nice songs. All these media choices are certainly more urging than doing your homework.

Some type of mass media affects us every day – culturally, socially and economically. There are times when the mass media influence the way you relax, eat, talk, learn or work. This is the effect of mass media on us as individuals and as society as well. The global presence of mass media signifies that today’s media seize more time and capture the attention more than ever. But, to understand more deeply the notion ‘mass communication’, it is necessary to get the meaning of the process of communication. We transfer information between us by gesturing, rolling our eyes or moving our bodies. There are certain ways of communication:

interpersonal communication;

intrapersonal communication;

mass communication.

Each form of these ways of communication implies different numbers of people in particular ways. We use one of our five senses – hearing, touch, smell, sight and taste – to communicate with each other. When there is a direct sharing of experience between two individuals it is called interpersonal communication. If you are in a store and you are undecided what to buy, talking to yourself, you are using intrapersonal communication. The communication from one individual to another group of individuals using a medium (a transmitting device) to large audiences is called mass communication. Shirley Biagi in Media/Impact explains that in mass communication the sender conveys a message through a channel; the channel (or medium) sends out the message. As mentioned before, a medium is a tool by which a piece of information reaches the audience – for example, our television set is considered a medium that delivers messages simultaneously to a large number of people ( the receiver).Talking to someone on the phone is not qualified as mass communication but as a message from the president to his people broadcast at the same time by all the television networks means mass media because this is exactly what they do, mass media send out information to large group of people at once.

People adapt their use of mass media to their specific needs. Widely speaking, we can state that people make use of the media in four ways: enjoyment, surveillance, and companionship. The strong wish for enjoyment is a basic human need. Listening to a favourite radio programme, watching a preferable TV show, finishing a newspaper crossword puzzle or reading an ad can bring so much pleasure to many people. Sports, primetime talk, news stories can be the subject of everyday talk with friends, work colleagues, relatives, and even strangers. A chain of comments can be focused on these subjects that involve a number of people into conversation. People may use some expressions or lines from the media content and use them in their everyday language to interact with other persons. Therefore, the media offer us the enjoyment we look for as a basic human need.

Using mass media tools for surveillance signifies taking advantage of them to find out what is going on in the world around us. Even if we do not realize it, we do this every day. Do not we turn on TV or the radio every morning to know the weather? Do not we look for information needed for some project on the Internet? Do not we read the newspaper headlines to learn about what is happening in the world? All these situations are real proofs of using mass media for surveillance.

On a different level, mass media offer pleasure to the lonely people. A lonely citizen would find companionship by watching his favourite show on TV or listening to his desirable radio songs. Sometimes, mass media can attract persons who feel troubled and in need of friends. Joseph Turrow in Media Today: An Introduction to Mass Communication defines this in the term of ‘parasocial interaction’ that describes psychological relations that some users of media have with famous people they discover through the mass media.

Of course, there are other multiple usages of mass media besides the ones mentioned above. Mass media has a special place in education. We are aware of the information explosion that exists in our society. Information means knowledge and the education trains the individuals to be more efficient, creative and active. Hence, introducing the mass media tools in the classroom is a vital part of the process of instruction. Teachers make use of these mass media instruments to create proper atmosphere in the classrooms for stimulating and encouraging the students to be more open-minded and connected to what happens in the real world. The important thing of having these media tools in the classroom is to obtain quality education for both teachers and students.

II.2. Teaching English through mass media

In the history of education, there has been a tendency for the teachers to relate the process of teaching to media tools. Mass media have always been ready and valuable sources of authentic materials for language teaching because they offer motivation for the learning of a foreign language. Some teachers continuously work out strategies of developing the teaching models using mass media as efficient tools to improve English as a foreign language. Therefore, the learners are expected to be trained in such a way so that they can be able to use media in the English classroom in an organized manner and gain their English language skills successfully.

There are a number of reasons why mass media should be integrated into the classroom. As I have mentioned before, because media are everywhere there is no way teachers can avoid them forever. The best modality to get students to learn is to involve them in what they are learning and there does not exist a better way to do that than through mass media, something they are already engaged in mostly every day.

But how can mass media tools influence teaching and students’ learning? Some of my students find rather difficult English grammar lessons, especially when they are about verbal tenses. Certain tenses might cause problems to students because they do not exist in Romanian language – present tense continuous or past tense continuous. For visual learners, the teaching procedure used is inductive and asks for reading and identifying tenses in the text. But, using a newspaper appears to be more entertaining and interesting. In the first place, learners are connected to the authentic language and a story based on reality. In the second place, students are used to course books and might be bored or tired of using them, so another kind of teaching tool may hold their attention and make the English class more pleasant and exciting. Students may develop other skills during this kind of activity such as speaking and reading. Not only can the learners be attentive to grammar patterns, but they can also concentrate on vocabulary and solve some reading tasks. After reading, discussions may be started on questions related with the newspaper article. Also, students may be given an essay related to the topic or a review of the article to improve their writing skills. Another way of teaching grammar issues to learners may be the usage of popular recorded TV shows. This method can be appropriate for visual and auditory students who have the opportunity to hear native speakers using the grammar patterns that are being taught.

Listening is another essential skill to develop in order to understand other people in real life. Course books usually provide tasks such as true or false, filling in the gaps or answering questions after listening material, while the vocabulary is related to the topic of the lesson. However, the radio and TV are the perfect instruments to develop listening skills. Listening to radio or watching the news are a great chance to come to know what is going on in the world. The learners can also acquire culture from native speakers. Furthermore, the language used on radio or television is not artificial, as in their textbooks, but one that is spoken every day. One important benefit of using television is that watching develops learners’ critical and visual awareness. Moreover, teachers can attract students’ attention to the language using a movie with no subtitles. After watching news or listening to radio the learners may begin discussions based on what they have just heard or seen to practice the speaking skills. This kind of activity makes them able to share their opinions on current matters, search for arguments to support their view, agree or disagree with peers.

Vocabulary is a vital fact in learning a foreign language since words are fundamental units needed for communication. There are several methods students can practice and acquire vocabulary, for example, through speaking, writing and checking words in a dictionary.

Although, the way of teaching vocabulary is not the same in a course book and on the Internet sites made especially for teaching English. In a course book, learners may have a task matching the words with the objects from a picture; then, the students have to compare their answers with the tape. This method is perfect for visual students but not so good for kinesthetic or auditory learners because they listen to the tape just once and do not have the chance to practice. How can online media help? The vocabulary that is analysed is related with objects in the room; specialized English teaching programmes offer short lessons with a native speaker who talks about these objects and draws them on a board. This kind of activity may be used for the students that will not have any problem with grasping the meaning. Then, the learners may be involved in different kinds of activities for a better understanding such as doing a quiz after watching a video or playing games on different websites. Not only is it a perfect chance to practice, but it brings a lot of fun in the classroom. The students get the language through fun and may forget they actually learn. The use of online media might be entertaining and encouraging for the learners because it is different from a classical course book.

In conclusion, newspapers, magazines, radio, television and Internet are very important tools that may serve educational purposes. As mentioned above, mass media have demonstrated that they are much better than the traditional textbooks. In the first place, media tools perfectly satisfy various types of students’ needs. In the second place, mass media encourage learners to study and are a way of entertainment. Mass media make learning more attractive as students may find something of their interest in teaching materials. The students can find out things about English culture by watching TV series or English news and reading magazines or newspapers. However, the most important benefit of teaching English through mass media is the connection with an authentic language. Listening to native speakers makes students be aware of their own performance and understanding.

II.2.1 The teacher in the technology era

The educational system is continually being challenged to offer a better study to more students, at the same time as the development of technology constantly opens up new chances and techniques of learning. Nowadays, the teacher’s role in the classroom has changed very much. From the traditional point of view, the teacher’s task has been to teach ‘true’ knowledge to the students. He/she was the only one in charge in the classroom that offered learners information. Then, the students had to give the knowledge back to the educator by reporting or retelling. At the present days, the teachers should be conscious of the role they have to play in the classroom and the responsibilities that technology wants from them.

The technology is considered a vital component of the 21st century learning. Technology with its many forms means innovation; it transforms the way learners think and, as a consequence, changes the manner that teachers teach. Teachers have to use a different method in education in order to fulfill students’ needs. In these days, learners are expected to take actions, form ideas and work as part of a collaborative team. That is why, the educators have to step forward beyond the knowledge transmission. In a classroom that has no technology, a lesson is just a common form of conducting information. Using the technology, teachers are more effective when they lead the reading of a newspaper or magazine, listening to radio, watching videos, online reading, exploration and small group discussion; “educators are no longer information transmitters but information synthesizers.”

The technology in the classroom gives students the liberty to find out keys to problems both collaboratively and independently. It does not only help the learners to evolve but changes the role of the teachers in the class. Educators who do not adjust to the requirements of the technology-driven classroom, will be old-fashioned as much as course books.

From my point of view, a teacher should keep up with the latest technology and have the following roles in the classroom:

Facilitator – these days, teachers have become facilitators of the process of learning; they assist learners to find out knowledge on their own rather than simply sharing it. In this way, students having an active role will be more involved and interested in a world that is continuously changing;

Adaptive – similar to the adaptive studying technologies that some schools utilize, educators must also know to adapt; teachers should have the ability of changing the lesson plans, starting discussions or using media tools in the classroom only to satisfy the students’ needs and interests; both teachers and students should be ‘partners’ in the teaching-learning process;

Communicator –while the teachers have always felt the necessity to talk to students, the modality in which they do it has changed a lot. Nowadays, teachers do not stand in front of the class and talk about interesting topics but encourage the dialogue allowing the learners to ask what they are studying and to think critically.

Collaborator – the teachers of the century have to be disposed/ready to work together with the students in ways they have not used before; the technology offers the educators the chance to collaborate with the students in teams, giving them more one-on-one attention and stimulating them to be actively involved in the learning process.

We have to bear in mind that teachers in the classroom will never and cannot be replaced by technology. The process of learning will never be simplified to a series of algorithms.

Teachers are vital in the class and have to offer students what technology cannot give: empathy, respect, motivation and passion. I think it is every teacher’s wish that his/her students be involved in something that is more than superficial. Educators want their students to be active learners who have a continuous craving for knowledge and discovery. Some people may believe that older teachers would have a problem in adapting to technology, but experience has demonstrated that it is not something related to the age but it depends on person’s personality and interest. That is why, now more than ever, teachers’ professional accomplishment is essential. Being a teacher in this world can be too much to be resisted. There exist so many innovative tools that some teachers feel they cannot deal with or they feel they are not given the help on how to introduce the technology into their classrooms.

But what prevents the nowadays teacher from using technology? Making use of technology in the teaching process engages teachers but it also causes a kind of skepticism. Teachers may find tiring getting involved in methods using technological support. They may not feel capable of mastering the technology in the classroom or find difficult to connect the technology with the topic of the lesson. But the development of the technology moved so fast that more and more teachers dare to use it adapting the planning of the lessons for satisfying the students’ pleasure.

Living in a world surrounded by advanced technology has become a necessity for teachers to make use of it and raise learners’ motivation in the class. The classroom seems to be a multidimensional environment where educators have to make learners be able to use the computer and, at the same time, look for information from magazines, books or newspapers. This kind of condition is student-centered and asks for collaboration from the students and careful planning. The learners should not only be capable of using computers but managing other resources that technology requires. In his book, The technology façade, Lawrence Tomeistated that “the teacher today is a kind of conductor of the orchestra, where the musicians (students) are different and play (learn) differently”. Being multidimensional, mass media accomplish the mission differently and successfully.

II.2.2. Advantages and disadvantages of using media tools in the ELT classroom

“We are drowning in information but starved for knowledge.”

John Naisbitt, Megatrends

Once with the advancement of the media technology, I wonder what a teacher should use in the classroom or what he/she should leave at the school door. These are questions that many teachers and, probably, parents are thinking over these days. As many other complicated riddles, there is not an easy answer. It is very true that mass media mean ways of communication which is a vital part between teachers and students. Media in the classroom involve learners in learning and offer a richer experience. Mass media are important tools for illustrating a lesson, letting students get in touch with examples of what they are learning. But there are also clear advantages and clear disadvantages of using mass media in the classroom. The general use of both advantages and disadvantages is that they guarantee learning/discovering the perfect balance of media tools in the context of the teaching-learning process. An effective teacher should know what media materials to introduce in the classroom in order to raise learners’ interest in studying the English language.

Here there are some advantages of using mass media in the classroom:

The use of media in the classroom makes students able to notice new examples and concepts when they are dealing with books, newspapers, magazines, television or radio;

Media tools attract visual, kinesthetic and auditory learners. Students can read a newspaper or magazine, listen to radio or interact with Internet. Effective teachers do not focus on teaching students in one way but utilize a diversity of styles to teach a great number of students;

Mass media are a common medium to students that makes them gain attention and raise their interest in the concepts and theories under discussion keeping them focused and engaged in learning;

Media strengthen critical-thinking skills. Students can write a newspaper article or interpret a news broadcast. Teachers can extend the activity by asking questions and facilitating discussions. Teachers can also involve students in projects in which they develop their personal media, using classroom media as example. This kind of activity stimulates learners to formulate media, using interpretations and creativity from classroom media.

Students are able to experience worlds beyond their own, especially if the media world is different from their local background;

Mass media offer authentic learning experience. Using magazines, newspapers, and news broadcasts gives authentic chances for learners to study using real-world media. When the students use things from the real life , they can notice the relation between what they study in the classroom and how they can make use of knowledge as a society member;

Using media tools is a source of entertainment in the classroom educators wishing to create a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere;

Media provide with both affective and cognitive experiences. Students are stimulated to start conversations on topics related to lessons from their textbooks. Media can provoke an evaluation of one’s values and an evaluation of self if the experiences have strong emotional content.

Media is used by the teachers to connect students with events which are culturally important. For this, teachers have to keep their examples and materials updated all the time.

With all these advantages in mind, it is possible to teach students to be familiar not only with the short texts from their textbooks but also books, television, newspapers and other kinds of media texts. As teachers, we have to show the learners how to decode the information that is being revealed to them. We do not have to forget that media are used and understood by a large number of people but children have an easier way to grasp the concept of media only because they learn how media function at school. So, bringing the media tools in the classroom can be without doubt a very positive experience for all involved. Yet, there are some disadvantages of using media in the classroom and the teachers should be aware of these:

The worst discouragement to using mass media in the classroom really happens to how it is used, not if it is used. If watching television is used to replace textbooks, learners will not be able to learn how to read as effectively;

Studies have shown that mass media are not a terrible instrument to use in teaching but their usage as a primary resource can take the students the ability to develop their creative thinking and imagination. If this happens too often – maybe teachers use media as main tools in class because they ask for less planning – the long-term effects on students can be negative;

Mass media may focus more on better students while weaker students may feel ignored or bored;

Mass media tools encourage mass learning without quality learning;

Media may distract the attention of the learners because of the diversity of the mass media.

Our world is continuously changing. And most of this change happens in our classrooms first. Teachers and students have available resources that many of us have never dreamed possible. Many of these resources can be used for good, helping students grow and learn. It is true that some of them can have wrong effects on learners but it is very important for us, as teachers, to find a balance between tradition and innovation. If used appropriately, the advantages of media tools in the classroom will far outweigh the disadvantages.

II.2.3. Newspapers in the classroom

Newspapers keep us informed about what is going on in the world, deepening our understanding and enlarging our knowledge. Because of this, newspapers are of general educational importance and value to students.

As foreign language teachers, we are also educators. Especially referring to language teachers working within the school system, this signifies that we are also accountable for the general education and development of our students, rather than simply the restricting aim of improving their language competences. Newspapers show changes in the language, in this way, they help teachers and students keep up with these changes. Newspapers provide important linguistic data and are linguistically topical and up-to-date. They contain different language styles and a diversity of texts types that are not easily found in their course books and students need to be familiar with such language forms. Newspapers offer a natural source of many of the kinds of written English that come to be more and more important to learners, and precious for the language study as they progress.

The large diversity of subject-matter in newspapers signifies that any newspaper will constantly include something of concern or value to every reader. This makes them motivating and interesting for learners to work with. Newspapers present real-life events and this stimulates our curiosity about what is happening around us. In his book, Using newspapers in the classroom, Paul Sanderson claimed that these media instruments are real source of authentic materials, and their use in the classroom means keeping with current practice and thinking in teaching pedagogy.In fact, for many learners, the capacity to understand and read English-language newspapers for work intentions means a very true and achievable goal to aim for.

Newspapers provide language teachers with a boundless supply of teaching resources that can be used to develop their learners’ language competences. These media materials can be utilized efficiently with levels from Elementary to Advanced. They are perfectly proper for mixed-ability classes and the better students will have little or no advantage.

Newspaper articles are suitable units that change in length from a paragraph to a full page or more. This is a very useful characteristic for teachers, in that it gives them flexibility when planning lessons and choosing materials to meet certain criteria – the density of information, the lesson time available, the content, the complexity of language and the level of the students. Students find this feature of newspaper useful because they can measure and increase their reading tolerance advancing from very short items to much longer ones extensive reading. According to Paul Sanderson, teachers successfully use newspaper materials for students following four key ways:

Pre-activity preparation;

Attentive selection of materials;

Attentive design of tasks

Recycling newspaper materials.

Pre-activity preparation implies making students familiar with the subject matter of the materials the teachers are using and ready for any difficult language materials contain, before they read them. This type of activity makes students feel confident about dealing with newspapers and make them able to take part in the lesson. Teachers will use some techniques in pre-activity preparation such as: giving the students the newspaper materials before the lesson and asking them to look for any problem vocabulary for homework; explaining the key vocabulary in the materials; summarizing the newspaper item; asking the learners to brainstorm what they know about the topic of the newspaper item; conversing with students about the general theme of the newspaper item; allowing the students to read a newspaper report or listen to radio news in their own language before they read the English-language version.

Attentive selection of materials. The difficulty of the materials consists of the density of information, the grammatical complexity, the amount of low-frequency vocabulary or the discourse structure. The teachers’ task is to select those texts and present them to each group of students’ needs. Some students may find quite discouraging and tiring to have to read a long and maybe, complicated news article from beginning to end. The teacher will use a number of techniques to make the article accessible to students.

Attentive design of tasks. Low-level students can deal with complicated texts, if the task teachers set is proper to their level and demands less-than-complete reading of the text in order it to be completed successfully. There are certain reading tasks that can be used with the most difficult reading materials: students may underline the words they understand in the reading text; students may circle a number of words that are related with a particular topic; students may scan the text to find the specific information or skim a text to identify the subject-matter.

Recycling newspaper materials. There are a lot of advantages if the teachers use the newspapers for more than one activity in the classroom. A new activity with familiar materials can offer learners precious practice in different competences and strategies. Various activities ask for different ways of working with the same materials that can be considered much easier by students in other situations.

Teachers can develop activities related to the newspaper headlines such as:

Headline hangman

Level: Intermediate- Advanced

Preparation

The teacher chooses four or five short articles with headlines containing three or four words. He/she cuts the headlines and pastes the articles into a sheet of paper. He/she makes sure that each student has one paper. The teacher has to keep the headlines safe because they will later be your answer key.

In class

The teacher gives each learner a copy of the articles sheet and tells them to read the first article. The teacher explains any language or vocabulary problems;

Then, the teacher draws a short line for each word in the headline of the first article, explaining to his/her students that each line means one word;

The teacher tells the learners that to find out the original headline they should say out loud individual words they think are in the headlines. If the students guess the word the teacher will write it in its correct position on the board. If it is not, the teacher will draw one-part of the well-known hangman diagram.

The teacher starts the activity and goes on playing until his/her learners have discovered the entire headline correctly, or have ended up ‘hanged’.

The activity continues for each of the remaining article.

Asking the right question

Level: Intermediate- Post-Intermediate

Preparation

The teacher chooses some newspaper articles covering a range of subject-matter, making sure of selecting articles with headlines not so difficult to understand. The teacher will need an extra article to demonstrate the activity. The teacher removes the headlines, and copies each one into a separate sheet of paper, letting a lot of space below for writing. The teacher exposes to view these headlines sheets around the classroom or walls. The teacher pastes each article into a separate sheet of paper and writes a translation or an explanation where needed to work with key vocabulary. He/she holds the articles for the last stages of the activity.

In class

To illustrate the activity, the teacher writes his/her sample headline on the blackboard and asks the students to imagine what kind of information an article having this headline might contain. The teacher asks the students to formulate their ideas in the form of questions and writes their questions on the board (e.g. How old is he? What’s the boy’s name?)

When they have finished to write their ideas, the teacher answers as many of their questions as he can by referring to the original article. The students may be surprised to notice how many of their questions the article answers.

The teacher pre-teaches some vocabulary problem found in the headline sheets on display, then students start to read all the sheets and each chooses a different one.

The teacher tells the students that they should go from sheet to sheet and on each one writes a question which they think an accompanying article would answer. The learners should write accurately and leave space for the answer to be written.

When there are enough questions on each of the headline sheets, the teacher asks his students to call for the headline they first chose. The teacher gives each student their matching article and tells that they should now read their articles and try to answer any questions they can.

When they have finished, the teacher asks them to show their articles and headlines sheets together on the walls. The teacher tells the students to check if their questions have been answered.

In the end, the teacher tells his/her students that it is possible to predict the information found in an article if they understand the headline.

The articles in newspaper are a very important source of improving teaching and learning in the classroom and teachers take great advantage of it.

News flash

Level: Intermediate- advanced

Special equipment: overhead projector

Preparation:

The teacher selects an article he/she feels will be of general interest to students, and prepare an overhead projector transparency of it ensuring that it can be seen from the back of the class. Also, he/she prepares a set of questions based on the content of the article. The teacher should make one copy of the question sheet for each student in the class.

In class

The teacher hands each student a copy of the question sheet and reads through this with his/her students to deal with the vocabulary of language difficulties.

The teacher explains them that he/she will use the overhead projector to display the newspaper article on which the questions are based. He/she will show them this for bout twenty-five seconds only then take away the transparency for a short time. The students should write answers to any questions they can and read other questions they have yet to answer.

The teacher tells them that he/she will continue the procedure of showing and then removing the transparency till someone in the class has succeeded in answering all the questions. The teachers inform the students that they do not need to write their questions in full sentences, they may write down only keywords.

The activity starts with the teacher who decreases or increases the viewing time and the time allocated to answering questions according to how good his/her students are.

In the end, the teacher checks the answers with the whole class. The teacher concentrates on any parts of article which caused problems and on any questions students were not able to answer.

Putting it back together

Level: Pre-Intermediate

Preparation

The teacher chooses a short article and divides it into short phrases and copies these on a sheet of paper but in a jumbled order. The teacher makes copy of this sheet for each pair of students in the class.

In class

The teacher writes the headlines of the article on the board, explains it if needed, and then asks the students to predict the content of the article.

The teacher pre-teaches any key vocabulary in the article and reads the article aloud at normal speed. After reading, he/she discusses with the students how close the predictions were.

He/she reads the article once again pausing from time to time before the next word to permit them to remember it.

Then, the teacher reads the article aloud for the third time at normal speed.

The teacher puts the students in pairs and gives each pair a copy of the jumbled phrases sheet. The teachers tells them that this is the article he/she read aloud, but that it is now divided into phrases which are in a jumbled order. Students’ task is to use all the phrases to rebuild the original article.

The teacher starts the activity. When they have finished, the teacher asks each pair to compare their version with another pair.

Finally, the teacher reads the article aloud so that the students check their versions.

Newspapers offer both teachers and learners different approaches to deepen the English language in the classroom and the teachers should know what particular feature of newspaper to choose for his/her students in their lessons.

II.2.4. Dealing with magazines

For many people, reading magazines is already a popular and enjoyable pastime. The activities based on magazines in the language classroom become, for these people, simply an extent of this concern, and one which teachers can master. For others, who are not so concerned with reading magazines in their own language there is the pedagogic advantage that dealing with English-language magazines may even stimulate them to do so. Making students read magazines in the classroom can help them find out their own interests and tastes. Also, this can play an important role in the process of motivating the learners to read without being asked outside the classroom, in this way, extending their relation with English. A wise teacher can stimulate his students by involving them in enjoyable activities using diverse and encouraging magazine materials.

Culture and language are unavoidably connected, and the magazines of a certain target community show its culture through the language they contain. It is known that culture allows language through references to the places, customs, people, and traditions of that community. Although, at a deeper level, language is acquired through the shared experiences, beliefs, values, knowledge, attitudes and emotions that a writer expresses. Magazines are a priceless source of such information and the more widely learners read, the greater their sense of understanding of the socio-cultural significance will be.

English-language magazines are easily available in most European countries, and there is a permanent and ceaseless need which is renewed with new content on a daily basis. That is why they supply English teachers with numerous teaching materials that can be utilized to develop their learners’ language competences. For some English teachers in Romania, the access to English-language magazines can be rather difficult. But, because we are in the times of rapid technological transformations in mass communication, with a worldwide network of interconnected computers, the access to Internet is available to almost everyone. English teachers have now the possibility to browse hundreds of magazines worldwide using the Internet. There are some English teachers that are afraid of using magazines in their classes thinking that they are only applied to journalistic classes. But, magazines are the perfect tools to teach a great number of skills as well as a way to stimulate students’ interest. Learners feel that they are in charge of the experience. They usually have a chance to be creative, to make something of their own when they use magazines.

Once a teacher starts to look for suitable magazine materials, it should not be long before he has piled up an interesting collection. An English teacher should keep in mind that gathering many materials can easily become inaccessible and unmanageable. That is why, it is very important for the teachers to take into account a system of organization which fits him/her to make sure the materials are at hand when necessary. For example, an organized teacher should think about magazines sections, themes and topics, language systems, language skills and language level.

Language difficulty in magazines

Many teachers avoid using magazines with some students – usually Pre-Intermediate ones, but not only – because they think the English language is too complicated for them to deal with. It is right that the magazines include language which is authentic. However, teachers should be conscious of making use of magazine tools at early levels of learning, even if they do seem to be complicated. The interest in language difficulty is maybe the most general justification why so many learners are denied the chance to deal with magazines till they get an Intermediate or Advanced stage of English. In his book, Paul Sanderson suggests there are a number of risks if the materials are chosen based on their linguistic complexity:

Teachers may refuse materials that would stimulate students to overpass any unavoidable difficulty of language. Students will often wish to read materials that are hard to understand because they interest them, and they will go on reading as they find them interesting and enjoyable. It is not just the linguistic problems teachers should think of, but also the motivation their students have when they read the materials. Teachers should not forget that motivation is an important fact in prosperous reading.

Teachers might select gentle materials that do not meet the interests of the students just because the grammar and vocabulary are kept under control. This thing means that students do not have the chance of a positive learning experience using stimulating materials.

Students can understand language at a higher stage than they can produce. Teachers should select the materials according to their comprehension and not to their level of language production.

Teachers can choose a great number of activities to do on magazine materials. Students seem to understand English language much better performing tasks given by teacher related to editorials, photographs, advertisements, horoscopes, cartoons and cartoon strips or the whole magazine. Here are some examples of activities related to photographs, horoscope and advertisements:

Famous people

Level: Intermediate

Preparation

Cut out lots of newspaper photographs of caricatures or drawings of famous people that your students know (e.g. actors and actresses, politicians, pop stars). Remove any connected captions and paste each photo onto a different sheet of paper, leaving enough space for writing. You will need at least as many photos as you have learners in the class.

Extension

Hold the article which goes in company with the photographs to share for this part of the activity.

In class

Show your students all the photos you have selected and ensure they can recognize and say each person’s name. Do not use any photographs your students do not know – these may be used in other lessons with different students.

Select one photograph and bring out as much information as you know about the person. This may contain career information, personal details or physical description. If needed, suggest your students’ questions. This part of activity will stimulate students with ideas for the stage that follows.

Display the photographs and ask each student to select a person that stirs their curiosity. Ask them to exhibit their photographs on the board.

Explain that each student should start with their own photo, write down two opinions they know about the famous person on the sheet, and then go to another classmate’s photograph sheet and do the same thing. They have to go on working like this till they have written something about all the people. Ask them to read what other students have written to be sure they will not repeat the information.

Start the activity. Be ready to solve any difficulty related to vocabulary your students deal with.

When the students have finished, tell each of them to gather the photograph sheet they first select.

Explain them that they should read all the information on their sheet and utilize it in order to help them write a short outline of the person.

When they have finished to write, display their work around the classroom and ask everyone to read each other’s work.

Stories

Level: Intermediate – Advanced

Preparation

Cut out a large variety of magazine items, including crosswords, headline words or phrases, advertisements, photographs and so on. You will need at least three times as many different items as you have students in the class, and this activity is an ideal way to use up any leftover scraps of magazines.

In class

Lay out all the magazine items and tell your students to each select three.

Put the students into groups of three and explain that each group should invent a story using all the nine items which the three other members of the team have chosen. They can use these in any order they want, and the story can be of any subject they select.

Explain them not to write their stories – they should make them orally.

When all the groups have prepared their stories, put two groups together and tell them they should take it in turns to tell the other team their story. Each student of the team should take over the role of a story-teller because each of their items is in the story, and they should expose their story by showing the listeners each item as they use it in the story.

If you have time, you can rehearse this final stage several times by arranging students in different groups. Then, invite groups to illustrate their stories to the whole class.

Make my day

Level: Intermediate – Post Intermediate

Preparation

Cut out the monthly horoscopes from several different magazines and cut them into individual star sign. Paste all the different variants of one sign onto one sheet of paper and prepare similar sheets for all the other signs. You will need one copy of their sheet of horoscope for each student so you have to prepare your students’ star signs before the activity to reduce needless photocopying.

In class

Put the students in pairs with different star signs and give each student his/her partner’s mixed horoscope sheet.

Tell them that each student has to write a new horoscope for his/her partner. This is going to be a compound horoscope taking information from all the various versions, but the rewritten variant is going to be completely positive- there will be nothing negative at all. It is going to the ideal horoscope.

Explain your students that they can do this by keeping in mind positive points, rewriting negative points and making neutral points positive.

Start the activity. Walk in the class and deal with problems concerning vocabulary or language.

When the students have finished writing, ask them to exchange their rewritten horoscopes with their partner to settle if they are pleased with the new variant. If not, they can negotiate with their partner to make some changes to it.

In the end, ask your students to display the new horoscopes on the walls or on the blackboard next to the original forms. Ask everyone to walk around and read each other’s new, improved horoscopes.

Reducing ads

Level: Intermediate – Advanced

Preparation

Choose different information-packed advertisements from magazines covering a wide range of products or services. You will need one advertisement for each pair of students. You can also make copies (student’s worksheet 1) used by readers when sending in small ads (student’s worksheet 2)to a local magazine. You will need one copy of this form for each pair of students.

In class

Put the students in pairs and hand each pair of the ads and a copy of the reader’s advertising form.

Tell your students that the activity is to reduce their large ad to the size of a small one, and to write their advertisement on the form, that has a maximum word limit. Tell them they have to remember all the important information comprised in the ad, and get rid of any needless detail.

Start the activity. Encourage your students to use the dictionaries to look up the new words but also circulate to deal with language and vocabulary problems as they arise.

When your students have finished put two pairs together to discuss each other’s work. They should settle if their small advertisements are really clear summaries of the original ones and whether all the important information has been included. If needed, give them some time to reformulate and rewrite after this discussion stage.

Finally, ask your students to display their original advertisements close to their rewritten ads around the classroom and tell them to read each other’s work. You may use this chance to make comments on any particular well-written small ads your students have produced.

Student’s worksheet 1

Student’s worksheet 2

II.2.5. The importance of television

Television has been used in language learning and teaching for many years. The mixture between vision and sound represents, in a particular manner, a dynamic and exciting way of exposing students to language. Television or video is intrinsically stimulating: the screen draws our attention in a way quite different from the other media. Television gives students a chance to practice spoken language in action in the next best mode to being in the language community itself. An important part of the characteristics of a real communicative situation are at hand: as well as the soundtrack, there is also a lot of visual information which is in connection with the language. For example, with a video, students can observe what the characters look like and what the plot of the story is, which both offers aids understanding and contextual information. The students can notice hints in the physical setting as to the formality or informality of the circumstance, which will be important for the type of vocabulary, stress, structures, intonation and rhythm they will listen to.

Furthermore, students can observe how people move while they are speaking, how their bodies act in time with the rhythm of their speech, what their faces express while they are talking. Learners can also notice how eye contact has a great importance in communication, once with other non-linguistic manners in which people communicate with each other. All of these situations will supply students with a lot of linguistic and cross-cultural information that will increase comparison with their own culture and language. J.P. Gee and E.R. Hayes have argued in their book that video is a powerful force precisely because it can ‘power up’ language, granting it new abilities; moving images strengthen text and vice versa , and for students this is a certain rich context, granting them greater chances and more diverse manners to communicate.

Using video in class represents visual help for language learning. Teachers make use of photographs or other kinds of still pictures in order to provide stimuli for the language practice. But, using television programmes in the language learning and teaching process offers students another dimension –that is of movement and time. Television enlarges the language learning horizons involved, by pointing out language being used by a great number of people for a variety of purposes in a large range of contexts. For example, a girl asking some people for directions to a certain hospital, two men knocking into each other in the street by accident, an old woman buying a ticket in a hurry at a railway station or friends that greet or arrange to meet again. To be really efficient for language learning, all these situations should be presented in an appropriate manner. Fortunately, television or film techniques make all these possible to focus the learner’s attention on full of meaning traits of language and language use.

Many people spend a lot of time in front of TV watching various programmes and feeling relaxed. Therefore, the way in which people watch can be uncritical and passive. Though, the usage of video in the classroom needs that students watch TV in a distinct manner. The students are asked to watch actively and react to an entertainment environment in a pedagogic circumstance. TV and feature film are just one group of the video materials that can be used in the classroom. Although they are not designed for language classroom, TV and feature film can be used to offer samples of authentic language use.

Activity types

It is interesting to notice that video-based activities have shifted, over the last decades, from very controlled language based-tasks to comprehension-based ones and then to exploring a much freer role. The classroom use of video and other moving image material has usually been followed in terms of pre-viewing, while-viewing and post-viewing tasks, however the relative emphasis on each stage and the various tasks implied has changed considerably.

Before watching, the activities typically set for this stage imply prediction tasks focused on stills of the video under discussion or questions initiated by teachers concentrating on the students’ own experience or previous knowledge. The aim of this stage is to elicit a response from students and encourage interest in the short video before viewing. Here there are some ideas for doing this, also including specific prediction task: provide plenty of background information and context, narrate the content or plot of the video, preview some of the key words and expressions in a word cloud, preview part of the video in class.

While watching, the tasks have changed enormously since video happened to be an integral part of a language lesson. The tasks during this stage would be gap-fills in which the target information from the script is missing or needs to be recorded, ticking items on a list, answering questions, sequencing items on a list or taking notes. According to B. Goldstein and P. Driver in their book Language Learning with Digital Videothere is a list of alternatives to ‘while watching’ tasks concentrated on different stimuli – aural, visual, cinematic and textual. It is important to stress that the major part of these tasks are set by the teacher in advance so that students are viewing and collecting data while watching, but they are more often than not carried out after watching the video. Therefore, while viewing, the tasks can be focused on text: use translation, voiceovers; read script and make predictions about the way it will be filmed through storyboarding task or discussion; make a comparison between the original spoken narrative with a written summary; spot the differences between script and on screen subtitles; focused on cinematic points: identify visual clues to classify genre(e.g. costumes, stunts, special effects, etc.); identify atmosphere/setting/mood created by shadows, lighting; recognize editing techniques (number of shots/scenes along a timeline); focused on images/objects: relate what can be seen – images or objects (this can be rapidly turn into a memory game for learners, e.g. How many characters were there?, What were they wearing? etc.); ask students to recall the colour, size or shape of certain images or objects; and focused on sound: compare a radio version of a sequence with the original film; predict and visualize action from sound only; analyse effects, different voices; identify the connection between song lyrics and visual images.

After watching, tasks are typically reconstructed narratives and summaries. Some of the tasks from while-viewing stage can be reconstructed, concentrating on the class’s memory of events. Students arranged in different groups can complete information-gap tasks. Concentrating on purely visual stimuli, students can reorder images into a correct sequence or recall most memorable ones. Parts of the script can be referred to correcting elements of a script or matching characters with specific phrases.

Cinema

Traditionally, full-length films were studied in their completeness in class, often accompanied by the literally text to discuss differences between the original and the adaptation. To make better use of classroom time, it is recommended to show students shorter clips from films and study these in greater depth. Teacher should concentrate on several specific topics as sub-sections of the cinema genre: voice-overs, flashbacks, encounters, chase sequence, openings and endings, trailers, etc.

Television programmes

Possibly more of people now watch video online or on mobile devices than on television sets. We certainly watch more amateur videos than professional nowadays, but conventional television programmes can be still exploited to a high level in the classroom. A teacher could choose from genres such as drama, sitcoms, reality shows, game shows as well these ideas for non-fiction clips: interviews, sports events (very useful for students to exercise their own commentaries), cookery programmes (great to make a comparison between written and spoken discourse) and speeches (excellent for emphatic language and body language). Other activities could include various kinds of news such as bulletins; travel programmes; lifestyle shows.

Advertising

Ads are a great source to use in classroom partly due to their conciseness and creative ideas they provide. Moreover, students have arguably viewed so many advertisements in their lives that they will be capable of examining them without too much difficulty and compare them with how these products might be advertised in their own cultures. They can also bring their own ads in to class. Advertising can be a great idea to introduce critical-thinking tasks into the class as students question assumptions about certain products and how these are promoted using different methods which convince the possible customer to consume them.

In conclusion, teachers have a wide range of developing many activities based on television. These activities can be related with video and text, video and narrative, video and persuasion, video and topic.

Activity 1.Translate it back

Outline: students translate subtitles from their own language to English and then compare with the original to observe similarities and differences.

Primary focus: Language focus – whatever emerges from your chosen clip; language of similarity and difference.

Time: 15-30 minutes, depending on length of the video

Level: Intermediate –Proficiency

Preparation: Find a video (1-3 minutes long) with English dialogue in two versions (1) with original English subtitles, (2) with students’ own language subtitles. Be aware there could be observable differences between their own language and English subtitles. For example, a joke might not be translated literally, or long piece of speech might be summarized so it fits on the screen.

Procedure:

Play the chosen video with sound off but subtitles in the learners’ language visible. This will give the class a clear idea of the clip’s English language content.

Students view the clip once again, translating the subtitles into English. Pause where needed to permit students time to do this.

Learners compare translations in pairs or small groups.

Play the clip with sound on and English subtitles visible.

Students identify any differences between their translation and the original dialogue, and discuss these in groups. Here are some possible problem areas to raise with learners:

Untranslatable words, idioms and expressions

Intonation, tone of voice, gesture may not have been considered

Differences in register

Humour can be untranslatable.

Activity 2. Narrative errors

Outline: Learners identify narrative errors in descriptions of film trailers or short video clips.

Primary focus: Language focus – predicting

Time: 30 minutes

Level: Intermediate and above

Preparation: Find a trailer or a clip which includes a few different scenes and chunks of dialogue. For lower-level students, choose a film that is known to the class. Prepare a few short scene descriptions from the clip.

Procedure:

Show the class a still image or a film poster of your selected trailer or clip, in which the main characters are featured. Elicit responses from the class about the film’s genre or any other information about it, for example its date or the names of the film stars.

Show or dictate six to eight chunks of dialogue, some from the trailer or clip plus a few distractors which do not appear in the clip. Check understanding of these phrases.

Play the trailer or clip once only. Learners tick which lines of dialogue are actually said in the clip. They also note which characters say them.

Play the trailer or clip once again to check answers.

Present the brief scene descriptions you prepared earlier. Again, include some that are right and some that have small factual reports.

As in stage 3, students watch the clip and identify which descriptions are accurate and which order the right descriptions should be in.

Play the trailer or clip once again to check answers.

Activity 3. Humour

Outline: Students watch a humorous video about life on a bike

Primary focus: Stimulus – viewing for detail

Time: 30 minutes

Level: Intermediate and above

Preparation: You will need the video clip The Man Who Lived On His Bike that is available on the Cambridge University Press ELT You tube channel(bit.ly/CUPDigital Video).

Procedure:

Tell students that they are going to view a video. As a warmer, ask them what they like or do not like about riding a bike.

Brainstorm with them what everyday actions you could possibly do on a bike in addition to cycling (e.g. brush your teeth with one hand, answer your mobile phone, send a text). Learners think of as many actions as possible – the more ridiculous the better.

Play the video twice. In pairs, students try to identify as many actions as they can.

Learners then work in groups to build up their list of actions. Get feedback from the class on the funniest, strangest or most memorable actions.

Students watch the video a third time to confirm their final list. Are there any actions that they missed? At the same time, ask learners to comment on any other funny elements, for example the cyclist’s costumes and wigs, what he is carrying, etc.

Get feedback from the whole class. Finish by discussing the nature of the video’s humour. Brainstorm different kinds of humour with higher-level students (e.g. black comedy, sarcasm, irony, etc.)

II.2.6. Online media

The creation of the Internet has made media fit perfectly in it. The Internet has rapidly become another choice among the present media tools (radio, newspapers, magazines and television). Because of the very plentiful information the Internet provides, online media have gained such popularity. In 2000, Internet connections were slow and costly, and there were, of course, far fewer websites and pages than today. Obviously, the Internet or the net as it is often named, has developed and has resisted the test of time.

There can be few people in the world who have not seen a webpage, or sent an email- and few in many parts of the developed world who do not use the Internet on a daily basis, either for study or other personal reasons. On the educational side, online learning and training have seen a growth, with the wide availability of training courses being offered through such free solutions as, for example, Moodle permitting even the smallest of educational institutions to expand its audience and increase its capacity to provide with training ‘anytime, anywhere’. In learning and teaching language teachers must take advantage of the up-to-date information Internet offers to make lessons more active and attractive to students because net is now widely available, cheaper and faster.

The World Wide Web, also known as www, is the medium of choice for both new and experienced students on the Internet, and for good reasons; it is visually attractive, easy to use, easy to understand, and succeeds in combining many other Internet-based forms of communication into one manageable package. It is at once a fascinating, yet somewhat familiar place to be. Instead of buying tomorrow’s magazine or newspaper teachers and students will be able to access the web pages and read the needed materials related to some lesson topics. Also, for teachers that initiate activities based on television programmes, the best alternative to use in the class is YouTube website, being aware of the fact that bringing a television set into the classroom is rather difficult.

These days, more and more schools have special rooms equipped with computers, also connected to the Internet. Not only does this make it easier for teachers to gain access, but it also offers them the chance of introducing learners to it as well. This opens up a world of opportunities as far as teaching goes, from giving students access to the ‘world knowledge’ they often do not have, to putting them in touch with online magazines and newspapers, videos, e-books and other online materials that help them with practicing and learning English language. Online media can be used as a supplement to the traditional form of teaching English language to accomplish the aims of the curriculum that mentions that learners are wanted to gain the ability to talk about daily life and modes of living in different situations and areas where English is used. Electronic media can be viewed as an asset in many situations to satisfy curriculum’ requests to achieve the goals in learning English language.

Online media is essential to improving and progressing teaching and learning foreign languages. By using them in the classroom, teachers guide students how to make use of resources, be safe on the Internet and also teachers offer themselves a better opportunity to learn and teach along with the 21st century. Creativity is the essential key. Being imaginative with how teachers introduce online media into his/her lessons, it will definitely captivate students, making them both life-long learners and online media-wise for life.

Teachers helped by Internet can find a great number of online activities to develop in the classroom in order to make teaching and learning successful. Here are some examples of these tasks:

Activity 1. Heroes hall of fame

Aim: to look at the heroes and heroines of modern life

Focus: describing people, past tenses, present perfect tense

Level: Intermediate and above

Time: 50 minutes

Sites:http://pathfinder.com/Life/heroes/hall.html

Procedure:

Begin the activity with a pyramid discussion. Individually, learners make a list of their ten heroes or heroines from both the past and the present. Then, in pairs, they discuss, compare and negotiate to make a list of ten from their twenty. Two pairs get together and repeat the process. The negotiations continue in bigger groups until the whole class has agreed on ten.

For a shorter activity, try brainstorming the names of heroes and heroines directly onto the board. Have a class discussion on who the ten most important ones are, and why.

Students visit the Life Hall of Heroes and look at the list to see if any of their heroes appear. In groups students select three heroes they do not know and have a look at their biographies, making notes. They then get into bigger groups to compare what they have found.

Women are sadly missing from the Hall of Heroes- how did they do in the students’ lists? Are women less likely to be appreciated than men? The Distinguished Women of Past and Present site (http://www.distinguishedwomen.com) has famous women divided up into categories. Brainstorm famous women as a class activity then allow students to look around. Who did they forget?

Get feedback on what students have seen using the Famous but forgotten? activity below.

Activity 2. Making the news

Aim: to design the perfect newspaper

Focus: vocabulary related to the news

Level: Intermediate and above

Time: 50 minutes

Sites: http://www.crayons.net

Procedure:

You could start with the In the news activity, getting feedback and general opinions on what is and what is not considered interesting to your students. Alternatively, brainstorm some vocabulary connected with newspapers (e.g. broadsheet, tabloid, headline, article) and their different sections.

Put students into groups and get them to design the perfect newspaper- they should discuss the following criteria and agree on final details. They should think about: the title of the newspaper, the newspaper’s motto, the sections it would have, and their order.

http://www.crayons.net allows people to create their own newspaper. Complete with title, motto and sections. The news which then fills this paper is taken from free Internet news sources. Students simply fill in a form at the website and submit their newspaper. They are then given a unique web address where they can consult their newspaper daily. Crayon automatically updates the various sections on a daily basis, so once the newspaper has been designed it will always be up-to-date.

Students can compare and talk with other groups about the newspaper they have designed. This can then lead on to a discussion about the quality and content of newspapers available locally.

One excellent follow-on is to introduce the idea of a class or school magazine or newspaper which can either be done in the traditional way or as a website.

Activity 3. Dream holiday

Aim: to plan the perfect holiday

Focus: talking about holidays and travel plans

Level: Upper- Intermediate and above

Time: 50 minutes

Sites: http://www.lonelyplanet.com

Procedure:

Start off with a simple questionnaire on holiday preferences. Get feedback as a class and give students the chance to talk to anyone who may have been to a country they would like to visit themselves.

Tell the class that money is no object and that they can go where they want and travel how they want. They have one month of holiday to organize. They must decide where they are going to go, how they are going to travel, what they will do when they get there.

Students form small groups and tell each other about their dream holiday. They can also inform their colleagues about the climate, geography, food and culture of their selected destination.

As follow-on, the activity can be extended further with more detailed planning of the travel arrangements including looking for airline tickets and finding out coach and train details- all of which is easily accomplished on the Internet.

Activity 4. Disaster area

Aim: to talk about world problems

Focus: global issues

Level: Advanced

Time: 50 minutes

Sites: http://dir.yahoo.com/Society_and_Culture/Issue_and_Causes/

Procedure:

Give each student time to complete the Disaster area activity, then make pairs and have them negotiate a new order and compare their answers to the last two points.

Gradually combine the groups until the whole class has decided on a final order for the problems. Divide the class into four groups and distribute the top four problems, one to each group. The idea here is for each group to get as much information as possible about the theme they have been given: the size and importance of the problem, principal countries affected, the global implications of the problem, etc.

Students should do a presentation of the material they have found. When all the presentations have been done, a vote should be taken on which cause to support. Students can then use the Internet for further investigation into how to do something to help.

CHAPTER III. Methodological coordinates of THE pedagogical research

III.1. The fundamental reason for the pedagogical research

Many teachers use different mass media tools in the classroom for teaching English as a foreign language both for education and entertainment. Nowadays, it is a ‘must’ that educators take advantage of these instruments to support learning and engage students in various kinds of attractive activities. Mass media represent an essential part of students’ lives even from an early stage. Since mass media have a strong impact on today’s world, the usage of them can be used as a supplement, something additional to the traditional way of teaching and learning English in order to touch the goals of the curriculum.

The most important part of the curriculum refers to how learners are wanted to achieve the ability to talk about daily life and modalities of using English in different areas and situations where English is being used. With mass media tools, this can be possible because media instruments offer the great advantage of being in the students’ everyday life and maybe the most important they provide both teachers and learners with the authentic materials.

Students should be demonstrated that using media tools in class is a part of the learning process and that without them progress cannot take place. Teachers should be aware that, if the right media instruments are used, the students will become more confident in their efforts and more willing to put their knowledge into practice. This experiment wants to demonstrate that the usage of mass media tools in teaching and learning English at high school level actually improves students’ learning and makes them more involved in the lessons.

It is well-known the fact that learning and teaching a foreign language do not refer only to direct teaching of linguistic competences such as syntax, phonology, morphology and vocabulary. Nowadays, teachers deal with another challenge: connecting the traditional teaching targeted at developing students’ writing, speaking, reading and listening competences with the communicative teaching concentrated on contextualizing the language. In order to face the provocation, teachers should use balanced and well-planned lessons challenging the students by relevant and meaningful activities. In fact, this is the purpose of this paper of demonstrating that we, as teachers, can make use of other modern approaches by integrating mass media tools into the ELT classroom in order to motivate students and increase their interest in learning English. The method is focused on the idea of integrating mass media literacy development into the curriculum. Keeping media literacy as an isolated topic, learners may have some problems in their efforts to talk about mass media because they control neither reading and writing competences nor vocabulary and grammar. Integration of these media tools into English Language Teaching classroom might give the students support and language input necessary to analyse, access and assess different kinds of American or British mass media – films, talk shows, TV news programs, etc.

By this research we mean to provide the students with the wide range of mass media tools, thus enabling them with the opportunity to master grammar, vocabulary, reading and writing skills better. Besides this, we want to prove that the constant usage of media tools in the classroom, repetition of topics in an appropriate motivational context together with pre-task planning time are key elements that contribute to improving English skills and to building students’ confidence in their ability to use the language. Thus, the purpose of our present paper is to build up confidence in using the English language and to avoid timidity in the classroom creating a positive climate which will hearten students to become proficient users of English. Our experiment wishes to demonstrate that the integration of media tools in the classroom improve students’ vocabulary, reading, writing skills and use grammar rightly.

Reading newspaper and magazine articles, being in connection with authentic visual materials students have the possibility of expanding their vocabulary, improve their reading and writing and pay more attention to grammar usage. Also, the students can be very attentive to pronunciation when dealing with visual media. This could be an advantage for them of imitating the spoken language from the natives. If in the past the students used only the traditional textbooks to learn English, we intend to introduce these media tools to make students more interactive and involved in the English lessons. But, we have to be careful how we integrate media in the classroom because we do not wish the students feel overwhelmed by them. That is why, it is not recommended to give up on the English course books for good, but we have to balance and combine all the materials (traditional and media tools) we desire to use in order to have successful English classes.

Reading skill can be expanded if the students read newspaper articles or watch videos subtitled in English related to the text from their course book. They are more receptive to the language they are studying. Because of reading the learners also can enlarge the vocabulary, find out other meanings of words or expressions that their course book does not mention. Regarding grammar issues, we know that some students find this part of English problematic. By the help of online media (e.g. BBC learning English TV programs), newspaper articles, magazine editorials, etc. the students come to understand better the difficulties they encounter while learning the language. Writing competence can also be improved by the help of media when the students are dealing with extension of some activities based on newspaper or magazine articles (for example, at the writing stage, the teacher may give the students the articles which accompanied their photographs, and tell them that they can incorporate in their profiles any extra information they find in their articles).

No matter what kind of media we use in the classroom, the teacher should take into consideration the students’ English level. If the students’ level is too low, integrating mass media in the classroom may have a negative impact on them causing difficulties in understanding the language, therefore the teacher should know which the correct types of media tools are to use.

III.2. Research methodology

Our research is concentrated on the experimental method that permits a researcher to prove a cause and effect relation through a manipulation of a variable and control of the situation. The experimental method is a scientific technique of investigation which impliesobservation and theory to test scientific hypotheses. It “relies on controlled methods, random assignment and the manipulation of variables to test a hypothesis.” Many people believe that the most suitable way to solve a question about language learning and teaching is to lead an experiment. According to Dörnyei the experimental method is the best method “of establishing cause-effect relationships and evaluating educational innovations.”

When using the experimental method, researchers pay a great deal of attention to eliminating the possibility of alternative explanations by means of the proper controls. As a result, the experimental method allows researchers not only to illustrate and expect but also to determine whether there is a cause-and-effect relation between the variables of interest.

III.2.1. Establishing hypotheses, objectives, variables and participants

A necessary operation before starting the experiment is that of defining the term ‘hypotheses’ and setting the general objectives of the present research.

General hypotheses: Applying mass media tools (newspaper, magazine, television, Internet) on Upper- intermediate level during English classes will enable students to develop vocabulary, reading and writing skills and reinforce grammar knowledge, motivating them to be more active and willing to use language when dealing with authentic materials.

Specific hypotheses: The constant use of mass media tools will enable students to expand their knowledge being more motivated to continue learning English language outside the classroom and increasingly applying their acquired knowledge in real life situations. Offering the possibility to deal with authentic materials will make them feel more encouraged and challenged to participate in the English classes.

Amongst the general objectives of the research, we mention the following:

Pretesting students in order to establish their level (diagnosing students);

Introducing mass media tools to the experimental group;

Registering students’ progress as a result of the positive feedback applied after the introduction of media tools;

Registering, monitoring and comparing students’ results and attitude towards the English class in diagnostic tests and achievement tests;

Analysing the correlation between the final results and the process of learning stimulated by the introduction of mass media materials.

We have referred to the basic premise of the experimentation that the researcher has to decide if there is a cause-and-effect relationship between the usage of mass media tools (newspaper, magazine, television, Internet) in the classroom and the progress or regress students have for studying English language and if these media materials have an impact on improving their reading, writing, vocabulary and grammar.

When using the experimental method, the researcher handles at least one variable that is known as the independent variable and measures at least one variable, known as a dependent variable. The independent variable is the variable which is manipulated by the researcher. In our research, it refers to the use of media tools to improve reading, writing, vocabulary and grammar which is used with the experimental group. The dependable variable is the variable that is measured by the researcher in relation to both the control group and the experimental group. In our experiment, it refers to replacing the traditional teaching modalities (the usage of the course book) in the class by using authentic mass media materials such as newspapers, magazines, television and Internet, so that the students achieve language content (vocabulary, grammatical structures) and reading and writing competences much better.

For comparative aims, at least two groups have to be chosen, characteristically referred to as the control group and the experimental group. The control group works as the baseline or standard condition. In our study the control group is composed of those students who are not exposed to mass media tools used in teaching- learning process (expanding the vocabulary after reading a newspaper article or watching a short video, getting the message after reading articles or watching videos, making sense of sentences, working with adjectives found in newspaper articles, writing profiles of famous people). On the other hand, the experimental group is given some level of the independent variable, this meaning that it is exposed to mass media tools used in the teaching-learning process.

The subjects in this study are 10th grade students of upper-intermediate level. The control group is made up of the students of 10th B2 (Basic training – Economics) whereas the students in the 10thC1 (Basic training – Environment protection) are the participants in the experimental group; both classes have almost the same level of English, this being demonstrated by the results of the diagnostic test each of the two forms having two classes of English per week. The students are going to be studied for three months and the results will be compared in order to see the differences which take place after the research.

We have already set that the present experiment needs control, therefore the first thing we have to arrange is who participates in the research in order to gain as much control as possible and to do away with as many alternative explanations as possible. The most important rule in selecting the participants in the present study is equality, that is why we attempted to use two groups, as equal as possible, having the same level among the students in the school. The single difference permitted by us between the two groups is that of the independent variable we are manipulating.

Except controlling that is going to take part in the experiment, we need to master/control what occurs during the study so that the only disagreement between conditions should be those between the levels of the independent variable. If, after controlling all these facts when the independent variable is manipulated, changes are noticed, we can conclude that the independent variable caused the changes in the dependent variable and not other uncontrolled variables.

Another important aspect is that, when we handle the independent variable, we must also make certain that the manipulation is true, this meaning that there really is a difference in the way in which the two groups are treated.

III.2.2. Instruments

The instruments used for the present research were the diagnostic test and achievement test (see Annexe 1 and Annexe 2). Both tests consisted of five types of items, the first item involved the reading skill, the next two items involved the vocabulary skill (II. a, II. b), the following item involved the grammar skill and the last one implied the writing skill. All the topics, in both the instruction and the test sessions, were selected to be of general interest from the students’ syllabus and included topics such as: relationships, school and education, environment, television, appearance and personality, modern technology, family and friends, music, sports, entertainment, weather, seasons, etc. In the current study, the students under different teaching approaches (experimental group, mass media methods while control group, traditional mode) participated in the same test. Their test results are gathered and analyzed to see whether the media tools have positive impact on their English learning.

Although the lesson plans for both groups had the same teaching and learning objectives, those of the experimental group included activities that asked for the use of the mass media (newspapers, magazines, television and Internet) as the students from the control group were offered the traditional routine situation in the classroom. As far as the idiomatic expressions were concerned, we considered several of their main characteristics, such as compositionality and predictability, familiarity, literality, aiming at making active the students’ capacity to predict their figurative meaning.

The reading item consisted in responding to a set of five questions with T/F answers after reading a short text. Even if the reading texts in diagnostic and achievement tests varied in repertoire they were similar in difficulty. For this item, the students dealt with scanning reading technique in order to answer some specific questions. They were given the opportunity of getting familiarized with the reading part of the Baccalaureate exam, even from the 10th grade.

The vocabulary item in the diagnostic test and achievement test involved two different tasks: choosing the correct word from a list of possible units and filling in the right word. The aim of this task was to assess the new vocabulary acquired by the students during the English classes and its usage in different contexts. Vocabulary is very important in language acquisition especially when it is about learning a foreign language. Teachers and students alike know that many of the reading comprehension difficulties experienced by learners imply lexical access and word recognition. That is why the implementation of these tasks is a step forward to broadening the knowledge of vocabulary.

The grammar item in both diagnostic and achievement tests was projected in order to check students’ ability of using verbal tenses (present tense simple/continuous in the diagnostic test and conditional types I/II in the achievement test). For some students, English grammar (especially verbal tenses) causes moments of discomfort because they find it more difficult to understand than the grammar of their native language. Grammar is the foundation for communication and students should know that it is important to be able to express themselves, but this should be done in a manner that other people find easy to understand.

The last item of both tests was designed to check students’ writing ability. They were asked to make a comparison between two pictures (the diagnostic test) and also make a description of a holiday destination (achievement test). This will help them to get used to writing for their final exam when their writing skills are evaluated.

At the beginning of the test sessions, the class teacher provided students with clear instructions, then being quiet along the tests allowing students to solve the tasks in a proper and silent atmosphere.

III.2.3. Procedure

All the students in the control group and experimental group were tested in order to establish their level for the collection of data before the introduction of the independent variable. All students were offered enough time to solve the tasks. They were not previously announced about the topics to be approached in the tests. However, they were explained the tasks they were to carry out so that their performance should not interfere with the misunderstandings of the task requirements.

After the test and the assessment of the students’ performance, feedback was provided to the students belonging to both groups: control and experimental. Besides this, the students in the experimental group were asked a number of evaluation questions that were designed to have them reflect on their performance. It was the first raising- awareness activity integrated in the instructional process.

During the experimental process, both groups of students studied the same lessons from their textbook having topics of general interest according to their syllabus such as: jobs and lifestyles, fashion and clothes, shopping, media, weather, holidays, technology, sports and games, entertainment and so on.

Thus, the lessons in the control group were taught in a traditional manner mainly including the following teaching materials: textbook, worksheets, pictures, chalk plus talk, etc. The modality utilized with the controlled group was the same to task-based learning which made the performing of the given tasks principal to the process of learning. The students in the control group concentrated on the completion of different activities, then the teacher discussed the language that was used, correcting where needed. Also, the teacher provided with the needed language before they set out to perform the tasks. After that, the teacher offered them controlled language practice for the vocabulary they might need for their activities. The main techniques utilized in the classroom with the control group implied the use of question-answer exchanges based on the texts, commands, repetition and memorization and drilling that involved the practice of the new words and grammatical constructions through exercises such as transformation exercises, repetition drills and substitution.

In the experimental group, the teacher made full use of mass media tools which involved a combination of a wide range of communication elements – newspaper articles, newspaper sections, magazine and newspaper headlines, magazine pictures, magazine editorials, animation, video clips, etc. Each media tool has its own specific advantage in conveying specific kinds of messages and bringing out particular kinds of learner responses. The fundamental goal of introducing these authentic materials was to strengthen the students’ reading and writing competences, develop and master the vocabulary knowledge and the grammar structures. The activities were concentrated on the content of the language (vocabulary and grammar structures to be taught and learned) but, also on the receptive and productive skills (reading and writing). During the study, the students in the experimental group were asked to read newspaper articles and magazine stories, watch videos in order to perform the tasks and the activities, using the language, in lifelike contexts. The emphasis was also on interaction, on the exchange of ideas and negotiation of meaning.

The first impact that media materials had on students in the experimental group was a positive one. The students were pleased to deal with other kind of materials rather than their textbook. Moreover, the used media instruments (newspapers, magazines) cover most of the aspects of the students’ syllabus offering a great advantage in teaching and learning English language. The class atmosphere became more relaxed and supportive and their involvement and excitement in performing the tasks increased. Some of the techniques used with the experimental group were: information-gap activities, scanning and skimming, viewing short sequences for specific information, discovery activities (using online dictionaries or a search engine, such as Google, to search for words and collocations), brainstorming, writing short texts on different topics, grammar games (word-ordering tasks), etc.

Newspapers activities were carefully designed to increase collaboration and interaction between students who worked efficiently in pairs and small groups. First of all, the students, in groups, answered some questions on the importance of newspapers in the daily life (e.g. Do you read newspapers? Why?/ Do you believe everything you read in the newspapers? Why? Why not?/Where can we buy them?/ Do you think newspapers will disappear with news on the Internet? Why? Why not?). According to their textbook, the students studied a unit on the topic ‘Media’, so having newspapers in the classroom helped them a lot. The students listed as many sections of the newspaper as they could then, compared their lists to the person sitting next to them. They also discussed the various sections of a newspaper: letters to the editor, advertisements, horoscope, news, classified ads, weather, travel, editorial, sport, cartoons, opinion piece. The students wrote pieces to illustrate one or more sections of a newspaper.

Newspapers proved to be successful once again when the students studied the textbook unit ‘Jobs and Lifestyles’. They chose a job from the careers section of the newspaper and wrote what skills they would need for that job. As an extension of the activity, the students were told to include CV writing. Headlines played an important role in the class activities, students performing many tasks based on headlines. One of the purposes of this kind of activities was to develop students’ reading competences. Written headlines on the board determined the students to guess what the articles might be about. They found out if they were right after reading the matching articles. While reading the students were explained grammar and meaning of the unknown words. Another way of improving the students’ reading and writing skills was to work with articles. The students, in pairs, read and summarized articles that interested them. Once again, words and phrases that the students did not understand were explained by the teacher.

Magazines had a stronger impact on students because of their colourful pages and news stories of famous people that they knew. Magazines also stimulated students’ interest in British culture and helped them get to grips with handling a whole publication in English. The teacher designed activities focused on the cover and also the whole magazine. The students brainstormed words associated with the pictures found on the cover of a magazine or wrote predictions on the main topics featured inside looking at the headlines. Another activity, among others, the students performed was to skim through the whole magazine and list the types of topics covered, then they compared their topics list with the contents page. As we have mentioned before, the pictures in the magazines appealed the students and the activities were projected for students to write descriptions and make comparisons.

Another media instrument that was used in the classroom was the moving image. The students responded positively to performing classroom activities focused on videos. The traditional manner of teaching grammar and vocabulary was reinforced by video illustration making the students to grasp the meaning of new words and grammatical structures easily. For example, BBC Grammar Gameshow programmes offered the students the possibility of consolidating the usage of verbal tenses and other grammatical constructions directly from the native speakers.

One of the most positive contributions that the moving image made in the class was the way that it enhanced and brought to life a text of some complexity. Based on videos, the students could create their own texts, categorizations and visualizations. They were motivated to then check against the original version and notice the differences and similarities between their version and the ‘real thing’. The students performed activities of translating subtitles from their own language to English and then compare with the original, changing the genre or style of a video clip by writing a new script for it, narrating a one-minute silent video in as much detail as possible, predicting an end to a story and so on.

Considering the Internet an energizer to students, the teacher introduced this new media tool in the classroom activities. There were times, when the students felt tired or the content of the lessons was too boring or not relevant to them (Why should I learn this?). In these situations, the Internet solved the difficulties encountered in the classroom. Watching a short video related to the topic of the lesson at the beginning of the class appealed the students’ attention, making them more involved in the lesson. But, the Internet was not only used to energize the students in class. The teacher implied the students in various activities by accessing different web sites (http://www.celebsites.com, http://www.crayon.net, http://www.hallmark.com, etc.) that helped the learners to find information in order to perform tasks related to vocabulary knowledge, grammar, speaking and writing skills.

At the end of the experimental study, the control and experimental groups were asked to participate in the achievement test- the final evaluation which included reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar and writing.

CHAPTER IV. Presentation, analysis and interpretation of results

IV.1. Presentation of the results

In this part of the paper, we will summarise the data collected during the research and the type of the statistics used to analyze the data. The results of the statistical tests are applied with respect to the measured and manipulated variables.

The results were collected in different tables for both the control and the experimental group. We started with the holistic and analytical scoring for each group for the diagnostic group (see Table 1-10, Figure 17) and then follows a comparison between groups, after the diagnostic test (see Figure 22).

According to the holistic scoring in Table 1, in the control group (the 10th gradeB2) the highest holistic score is 96 points and the lowest is 47 points, whereas the class average is of 72.12 points. The pie chart in Figure 1 offers a much clearer view over the scoring in terms of class average and non-achieved points from a total of 100.

Grade10B2 (Basic Training-Economics) – the control group

Diagnostic test scoring for the control group

Table 1

Table 2

Table 3

In what concerns in the analytical scoring we made the average per each of the skills involved in the diagnostic test: reading (see Figure 3), vocabulary (see Figure 5, Figure 6, Figure7), grammar (see Figure 8), and writing (see Figure 9).

Table 4

Table 5

Table 6

Table 7

Table 8

Table 9

The experimental group results for the holistic evaluation are presented in Table 10.

According to it the highest score was of 96 points and the lowest of 58 points. The class average total number of points achieved by the experimental group (10th grade C1) in what concerns the holistic evaluation (see also Figure 18) is of 73.24.

Grade 10C1 (Basic Training- Environment Protection) – the experimental group

Diagnostic test scoring the experimental group

Table 10

Table 11

Table 12

In what concerns in the analytical scoring we made the average per each of the skills involved in the diagnostic test: reading (see Figure 13), vocabulary (see Figure 14, Figure 15, Figure 16), grammar (see Figure 17), writing (see Figure 18).

Table 13

Table 14

Table 15

Table 16

Table 17

Table 18

The two pie charts underline the class average points in the comparison between groups after the diagnostic test (see Figure 17 and Figure 18). As we can notice, at the beginning of the study the two groups are quite equivalent in what concerns students’ performance. For the control group the class average total number of points is 72.12 for the holistic evaluation while for the experimental group it is 73.24 out of 100.

The same similarity of results can be noted if we look at the graphs below (see Figure 19, Figure 20, Figure 21, Figure 22, Figure 23) and the tables associated with them that show the results achieved by both groups.

Table 19

Table 20

Table 21

Table 22

Table 23

The achievement results illustrate progress for both groups (see Table 24 and Table 33) and the control group improved their results and achieved higher grads in the achievement test, thing which can be noticed in the class average total number of points.

Grade 10B2 (Basic Training-Economics)- the control group

Achievement test scoring for the control group

Table 24

Table 25

Table 26

In what concerns the analytical scoring, we also calculated the average per each of the skills involved in the achievement test: reading (see Figure 26), vocabulary (see Figure 27, Figure 28, Figure 29), grammar (see Figure 30), writing (Figure 31).

Table 27

Table 28

Table 29

Table 30

Table 31

Table 32

For a holistic perspective on the results obtained by the experimental group see Table 33 and Figure 32, Figure 33 offers a perspective on the final marks.

Grade 10C1 (Basic Training- Environment Protection)- the experimental group

Achievement test scoring the experimental group

Table 33

Table 34

The highest score obtained in the achievement test for the experimental group is 96 while the lowest is 65 and the average of points is 78.60.

Table 35

A more detailed view on the results is offered by looking at the Figures 34-39 which provide information on the percentages on each of the four skills: reading, vocabulary, grammar and writing.

Table 36

Table 37

Table 38

Table 39

Table 40

Table 41

The pie charts in the Figure 40 and Figure 41 offer us an outlook on the results in the achievement test of both control and experimental group. If the average of the points received by the control group is 76.36, for the experimental group is of 78.60.

IV.2. Analysis and interpretation of the results

As we have seen from the analyses, the achievement results do not show the same similarity in performance levels between the two groups as in the case of the diagnostic results. It is accurate that both groups achieved better results and improved English language usage, but the students in the experimental group received higher scoring in comparison with the diagnostic test and in comparison with the control group achievement test results.

Table 42

Table 43

Table 44

Table 45

For a better perspective upon the situation, an analytical outlook is presented in the areas from Figures 41-44 that show us the improvements of both groups, the control group and the experimental group, for the four studied skills: reading, vocabulary, grammar and writing, but also in the tables belonging to it.

The control group average of points was in the diagnostic test of 72.12 and in the achievement test of 76.36, which show the progress this group achieved. The difference is of

4.24points.

For the experimental group, the average number of points was of 73.24 in the diagnostic test and in the achievement test of 78.60, which shows the progress this group achieved: of 5.36 points.

In the classroom, the student is the nucleus of teaching and in this process the teacher acts as organizer, motivator and facilitator using cooperation, setting and dialogue to motivate students’ creativity, activity and interests. Teachers should satisfy all students’ necessities. It was noticed that the usage of mass media helped the students in the experimental group be more interested in learning English language. It was demonstrated that mass media assisted approach changed the situation of having to learn into willing to learn.

During the study, mass media mixed moving images, sound and authentic written language offering the students in the experimental group a lively, direct study environment. Mass media tools usage brought into the classroom different kinds of tasks, exercises and activities stimulating the students’ interest.

These media tools facilitated English learning and teaching process and made it more efficient. The teacher used those types of media (newspapers articles, magazines editorials, and short videos) that provided the students in the focus group with the useful information such as language structures, useful expressions, word study, cultural background and exercises.

Taking into consideration the results obtained in the achievement test by the students in the experimental group, we come to the conclusion that they showed a higher level of language acquisition and developing reading and writing skills.

Even if the students in the control group were exposed to traditional teaching and learning tools (textbook, dictionary, chalk and blackboard, worksheets), they showed a good level of participation in the class activities and were quite interested in learning English, although they registered a lower score in the language acquisition

Table 46

All these considered, we can conclude that the experimental group’s achievement results are considerably better than the control group’s achievement results, due to the introduction of mass media tools in the classroom.

IV.3. Opinion questionnaire

In order to have a much clearer perspective on students’ standpoint regarding the importance of mass media tools in their lives, an opinion questionnaire has been addressed to them (see Annexes 5and 6). The two questionnaires were applied on the students from the experimental group in order to notice the impact of the media tools on their endeavour of improving English, on their motivation and stimulus for studying more.

OPINION QUESTIONNAIRE 1

NUMBER OF STUDENTS: 25 MALE: 9 FEMALE: 16

As we can see most of the students read magazines and newspapers in their daily lives: 7 said they often read newspapers and magazines and 12 said they sometimes read these media materials.

11 students answered they often watched TV programmes where English was being spoken and another 11 chose sometimes; only 2 students answered they rarely watched these kinds of TV programmes.

Concerning this question, 10 students considered that Internet often helped them with learning English and 5 students chose always;7 students answered they sometimes used Internet for studying English and only 3 students did not find Internet so useful for learning English choosing rarely.

The importance of media tools in doing homework at other subjects has been demonstrated by the students’ answers: 4 students said they always used media tools to do their homework, 11 students chose often and 8 of them answered sometimes; only 2 students rarely used media tools for doing homework. None of them answered never.

The teacher wanted to know if the students liked to have media at their English classes. The students being excited about using something new in the classroom chose the following answers: 20 students considered they should always use media at their English classes, 3 of them answered they should often use them in class and only 2 students chose sometimes. None of the 25 students chose rarely or never.

Knowing the students’ desire to improve their English language, the teacher challenged the students once again and their answers concerning this question were not surprising at all. 15 students considered that media tools would always help them to learn English better, 9 students answered often and only 1 student chose sometimes. Rarely and never were not chosen by any student.

The Opinion Questionnaire was applied at the beginning of the research to see how important mass media are in the students’ lives and also if they consider the usage of media tools efficient in the classroom.

Just before the Achievement Test, after the mass media tools were introduced during the study, the following questionnaire (see Annexe 6) was applied on the students. They were explained and offered all the necessary details so as to help them better understand the questions.

OPINION QUESTIONNAIRE 2

NUMBER OF STUDENTS: 25 MALE: 9 FEMALE: 16

Concerning this question, 19 the students considered media tools efficient in the English learning process making them feel more motivated and involved in the lessons. By choosing always they proved that the teacher made a good choice of bringing mass media into the classroom.

It is an evident fact that dealing with media in the classroom, the students became more communicative between them and more involved in the tasks given by the teacher. This is demonstrated by the students’ answers. 18 students considered the usage of media increased the interaction in the class by choosing always, 3 of them chose often and only 4 students, sometimes.

Along the study, being in contact with authentic materials such as newspapers and magazines, reading newspaper features and magazine articles the students discovered new words and expressions, this leading to the extension of their vocabulary. 20 students were aware of this improvement when choosing always and 5 of them, often.

17 students considered that mass media increased the interaction between them and the teacher by answering always, 5 of the students chose often, while 3 students said sometimes. None of the 25 students chose rarely or never.

Mass media will always improve the atmosphere in the class, as 20 students believed, or often – 4 of them considered. Only 1 student chose sometimes. No student answered rarely or never.

It is well-known that the one who encourages the students to participate in classes is the teacher, but there are times when the roles change and the students are those who encourage teacher to use media as teaching tools. 17 students considered, answering always, that the teacher should use mass media as useful teaching instruments, 6 of them chose often and only 2 students answered sometimes. None of the students selected rarely or never.

The students stated that they were also pleased with English classes before the research but after the mass media tools were introduced the classroom atmosphere became more lively and supportive. They worked with additional media instruments that encouraged to use English much more, the tasks they performed were more attractive and their involvement in the activities increased than before.

They also appreciated that their teacher brought English newspapers and magazines into the classroom allowing them to do different activities concentrated on reading, vocabulary, grammar and writing and to find out more about British cultural background. Mass media tools had a great impact on the students helping them progress in learning English and practice more the language in different situations. The teacher should take into consideration the progress recorded by the students and make use of all the possible resources, in our case-mass media tools, that fulfill the students’ needs and culminate in better teaching and learning.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study started from the premise that students would feel more motivated to learn English in the classroom through the usage of mass media tools. The goal of this paper was to make students understand that the usage of mass media tools in class is a part of the learning process and without them progress cannot occur. The teacher has a decisive role in the classroom and the way s/he introduces and uses media materials will motivate or discourage the students; that is why, the teacher should focus on the students’ needs so as to stir their interest, gain and increase their confidence and respect, making them conscious that having good knowledge of English is the key to a successful career.

The analysis of the results highlighted the validity of our research hypotheses. Thus, the students in the experimental group were really pleased with the new materials brought into the classroom leading to a high involvement in the assigned activities. Moreover, the students responded positively to the use of mass media teaching/learning tools in the classroom, being actively involved in the activities. The tasks chosen captivated their interest in developing reading and writing skills and increase their motivation to use vocabulary and grammar correctly.

The tasks focused on mass media instruments were centered on the students, the teacher facilitating the interaction between the students who were no longer passive recipients of information. The students had more chances to communicate and produce their own language. The new tasks also satisfied the students’ interests and needs. The activities concentrated on mass media tools stimulated the students’ learning motivation. The usage of media instruments offered the students access to individual extensive learning and gave them a kind of authority over their own learning process. The moving images, the pronunciation of words, the Internet, the direct access to words’ definitions, the articles and stories magazines helped their understanding of the texts and the improving of the reading, writing and listening skills stimulating their interest for extensive self-instruction and for keeping on their learning also outside the classroom. The results obtained definitely evaluated the efficiency of teaching and learning English using mass media tools with the experimental group. The activities focused on media motivated the students to speak and think in English, elevating direct involvement and interaction, and, as a result, the development of receptive and productive skills.

Therefore, the abundant display of language in use and all the chances provided by mass media at the English classes are mainly important for developing students’ knowledge and skills. In spite of the challenges that mass media pose for the teacher, the advantages clearly outnumber the troubles encountered in class. A suitable planning in advance may decrease/lower the disadvantages, transforming mass media into very efficient and useful tools for teaching and learning English as a foreign language.

ANNEXE 1: DIAGNOSTIC TEST

(10TH GRADE – UPPER-INTERMEDIATE LEVEL)

Read the text and decide if the following sentences are true (T) or false (F). Write T or F after each sentence.

Many health problems are caused by unhealthy habits that a person has learned. The most commonly discussed habits are smoking, drinking coffee, overeating, and addiction to drugs. Habits are automatic responses developed and used by the body to save time and energy. Because habits save energy, they are good if we want to keep the habit, but dangerous if we want to break the habit. Doctors often recommend that their patients replace an old habit with a new habit. For example, if a person wishes to break a smoking habit, the person might replace smoking with deep breathing or stretching exercises. When the person has a desire to smoke, he or she should then stand up and do the exercises briefly. This will be more effective than simply saying "no" to the old habit.

Few health problems are caused by unhealthy habits.

Habits save time and energy.

Breaking a habit can be dangerous.

Patients should not change old habits for new ones.

Physical exercises are more effective than refusing an unhealthy habit.

15 points

a) Choose the correct item to complete the sentences:

The necklace is not for sale; it’s ……………….. .

A. invaluable B. priceless C. worthless D. valuable

Mr. Simms had a huge ……………………. at the bank.

A. overdraft B. bankruptcy C. debt D. loan

I got this half price in the January…………………. .

A. bids B. auctions C. sales D. offers

This table was a real ………………….. .

A. bargain B. offer C. profit D. reduction

You can buy this now ………….. and pay for it in instalments.

A. in advance B. in cash C. on credit D. by cheque

15 points

b) Fill in the correct word(s)from the list below:

chore, pile up, illusion, overdraft, triggered

She never reuses plastic bags from the supermarket, she just lets them ……………… in the cupboard . (gather over time)

That advert on television really ………………. my desire to buy an ice-cream. (stimulated)

I like buying clothes, but shopping for food is just a(n) ………………. . (boring task)

Shops often charge 99p for things to create the ………… that they cost much less than a pound .(false idea)

The shopping spree last week has left me with a huge …………….. . (debt to the bank)

15 points

Fill in either the present continuous or the simple present.

It is a Friday evening. Tim and Oliver (play) football against Mike and John. They (often/play) football against Mike and John. On nice Sunday mornings the Millers (have) breakfast in the garden. But today it (rain) so they (have) breakfast in the kitchen. It is three o´clock. Mr Hill (take) Sebastian´s food into the garden. He (always/take) Sebastian´s food into the garden.

21 points

Compare the two types of shops in the pictures using the notes below. Write at least 10 lines.

Corner shop Department store

pros: convenient, close to your house, pros: cheap, wide choice of products,

open long hours, friendly atmosphere centrally located , better service, more cons: expensive, limited range of goods. staff, pay by cheque or credit card

cons: impersonal crowded, noisy.

24 points

10 points granted

ANNEXE 2: ACHIEVEMENT TEST

(10TH GRADE – UPPER-INTERMEDIATE LEVEL)

Read the text and decide if the following sentences are true (T) or false (F). Write T or F after each sentence.

Holiday destinations

Some towns on the English coast have only small populations in winter, but in summer there come thousands and thousands of tourists. Most people in Britain have at least two weeks to spend their holiday. July and August are the most popular months for holidays and there is always a lot of traffic on the roads to the seaside.

In the south west of England, one can find small villages for fishing purposes and also for a peace and quiet period. In the north east of England you can walk along the coast of Northumberland without meeting anyone at all. On the south coast you can enjoy the sun and the beautiful beaches of the English Riviera.

If you prefer a holiday with a lot of people and a lot of fun then you can go to a big holiday resort like Blackpool on the west coast of England or Brighton on the south coast. Or maybe you would like to spend your holiday in a camp. You can find them all over the country, especially near the popular resorts. In a camp you have dances, parties, special arrangements for children and a lot of games and sport.

On the English coast people come in winter.

In Britain people have two weeks of holidays.

July is the only popular month for going on a holiday.

You can fish in the south west of England.

Beaches can be found on the English Riviera.

15 points

a) Choose the correct word from the list below to complete the sentences:

outweigh, outsmart, outgrown, outlived, outsell

The escaped criminal managed to ………………..the police and flee the country.

The advantages of his plan far ………………… the disadvantages.

We must make every effort to ……………… our competitors and increase our profits.

My grandfather ………………… my grandmother by six months.

Jo’s baby has ……………….. all the clothes we bought him.

15 points

b)Fill in the correct word from the list below:

grain, evolution, traced, mundane, famine

Many people don’t believe in the …………….. of man from apes. (gradual development)

There are three types of ……………… in this bread: corn, wheat and barley.(cereal)

If there is no rain for two consecutive years, there will probably be a(n)……………….. (shortage of food)

The police …………….. the murderer to his hiding place on the mountain.(tracked down)

Mary was tired of her ……………. Job, and decided to look for something more exciting.(uninteresting)

points

Put the verbs at the right type of conditional in the following sentences:

She will catch the train if she ……………. (to hurry).

The children …………….. (to eat) all the cakes if they find them.

If you ………… (to take ) this medicine, you would feel much better.

If William worked hard, he …………………… (to pass) the exam.

If you read this book, you ………………………. (to like) it.

If we …………..(meet) him, we would tell him the news.

If you knew the truth, you ……………………(not to be) so happy.

21 points

Choose one of the pictures below and imagine you would go on holiday there.

Describe the place and the activities that you would do. Write at least 15 lines.

picture 1 picture 2

24 points

10 points granted

ANNEXE 3

MARKING SCHEME FOR THE DIAGNOSTIC TEST

Reading comprehension

15 points/ 3 points for each sentence

Few health problems are caused by unhealthy habits. (False)

Habits save time and energy. (True)

Breaking a habit can be dangerous. (True)

Patients should not change old habits for new ones.(False)

Physical exercises are more effective than refusing an unhealthy habit. (True)

Vocabulary exercises

Choose the correct item to complete the sentences:

15 points/ 3 points for each word

The necklace is not for sale; it’s priceless.

Mr. Simms had a huge overdraft at the bank.

I got this half price in the January sales.

This table was a real bargain.

You can buy this now on credit and pay for it in instalments.

Fill in the correct word(s) from the list below:

15 points/ 3 points for each word

She never reuses plastic bags from the supermarket, she just lets them pile up in the cupboard . (gather over time)

That advert on television really triggered my desire to buy an ice-cream. (stimulated)

I like buying clothes, but shopping for food is just a(n) chore. (boring task)

Shops often charge 99p for things to create the illusion that they cost much less than a pound .(false idea)

The shopping spree last week has left me with a huge overdraft. (debt to the bank)

Grammar practice

21 points/ 3 points for each verb

Fill in either the present continuous or the simple present.

It is a Friday evening. Tim and Oliver (play) football against Mike and John. They (often/play) football against Mike and John. On nice Sunday mornings the Millers (have) breakfast in the garden. But today it (rain) so they (have) breakfast in the kitchen. It is three o´clock. Mr Hill (take) Sebastian´s food into the garden. He (always/take) Sebastian´s food into the garden.

Writing skills

24 points

Compare the two types of shops in the pictures using the notes below.

Write at least 15 lines.

ANNEXE 4

MARKING SCHEME FOR THE ACHIEVEMENT TEST

Reading comprehension

15 points/ 3 points for each sentence

On the English coast people come in winter. False

In Britain people have two weeks of holidays. True

July is the only popular month for going on a holiday. False

You can fish in the south west of England. True

Beaches can be found on the English Riviera. True

Vocabulary exercises

Choose the correct word from the list below to complete the sentences:

15 points/ 3 points for each word

The escaped criminal managed to outsmart the police and flee the country.

The advantages of his plan far outweigh the disadvantages.

We must make every effort to outsell our competitors and increase our profits.

My grandfather outlived my grandmother by six months.

Jo’s baby has outgrown all the clothes we bought him.

Fill in the correct word from the list below:

15 points/ 3 points for each word

Many people don’t believe in the evolution of man from apes.(gradual development)

There are three types of grain in this bread: corn, wheat and barley.(cereal)

If there is no rain for two consecutive years, there will probably be a(n) famine. (shortage of food)

The police traced the murderer to his hiding place on the mountain.(tracked down)

Mary was tired of her mundane Job, and decided to look for something more exciting.(uninteresting)

Grammar practice

21 points/ 3 points for each verb

Put the verbs at the right type of conditional in the following sentences:

She will catch the train if she hurries (to hurry).

The children will eat (to eat) all the cakes if they find them.

If you took (to take) this medicine, you would feel much better.

If William worked hard, he would pass (to pass) the exam.

If you read this book, you will like (to like) it.

If we met (meet) him, we would tell him the news.

If you knew the truth, you wouldn’t be (not to be) so happy.

Writing skills

24 points

Choose one of the pictures below and imagine you would go on holiday there. Describe the place and the activities that you would do. Write at least 15 lines.

ANNEXE 5

OPINION QUESTIONNAIRE 1

PURPOSE: to observe the importance mass media have on the students’ lives

PROCEDURE FOR FILLING IN : tick the right answer

IDENTIFICATION DATA:

GRADE: 10TH C1

LEVEL: UPPER- INTERMEDIATE

QUALIFICATION: ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION

SCHOOL: THE TECHNICAL COLLEGE “GHEORGHE ASACHI”, ONESTI

Do you usually read newspapers or magazines (fashion magazines, slimming magazines, sports newspapers, etc.)?

How frequently do you watch TV programs where English is being spoken (news, documentaries, films, etc.)?

How often do you use Internet for studying English?

How often do you use media tools (newspapers, magazines, television, online media) to do homework at other subjects?

Would you like using mass media tools (newspapers, magazines, TV programs, online media) at your English classes?

Do you think media tools would help you learn English better?

ANNEXE 6

OPINION QUESTIONNAIRE 2

PURPOSE: to observe the impact mass media have on the students

PROCEDURE FOR FILLING IN : tick the right answer

IDENTIFICATION DATA:

GRADE: 10TH

LEVEL: UPPER- INTERMEDIATE

QUALIFICATION: ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION

SCHOOL: THE TECHNICAL COLLEGE “GHEORGHE ASACHI”, ONESTI

Do you find the usage of media in the classroom a useful learning tool?

Do you think the usage of media tools has increased the interaction between the students while performing the activities assigned by the teacher?

Do you think that dealing with authentic materials can expand your vocabulary?

Do you think the usage of mass media can facilitate more the interaction between the students and the teacher?

Do you think that working with mass media can improve the atmosphere in the classroom?

Do you think the teacher should use mass media as teaching tools?

ANNEXE 7

OTHER ACTIVITIES WITH NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES IN THE CLASSROOM

Matching people to newspaper stories

Preparation: Select between five and ten short articles, each of which concerns one person. The stories should all be about women or they should all be about men, and the people should be unknown to your students. Each article must have an accompanying portrait of the individual person involved in the story. Separate the pictures from the texts, remove any accompanying captions, paste the texts onto a sheet of paper and number these for ease of reference. Add a gloss (a translation or an explanation) to deal with any problem vocabulary or language and make one copy of this sheet for each student in the class.

Paste each (original) photograph onto a separate sheet of paper and letter these from A onwards. Display these sheets around the classroom on walls. You can protect these photographs by inserting them in plastic covers.

In class:

Ask your students to look at all the photos on display. Explain that all these people were involved in different newspaper stories.

Ask your students to study picture A closely for a few moments and then ask them to

try to guess anything they can about the person from his/her appearance – age, nationality, status, character, occupation and so on. Ask your students to also try to imagine what involvement this person had in the newspaper story. Tell your students to call out their ideas, but do not confirm or reject any of their suggestions at this stage.

Now give each student a copy of the articles sheet and explain that these are the newspaper stories about the people in the photographs. Tell them that they should read these carefully and try to match each one to the correct photograph, using their own intuition and any clues in the text which might help them. They should write the letter of the photograph sheet next to the article they think it matches.

When your students are ready, tell them to compare their answers with a partner and

explain and justify their decisions.

Allow a few minutes for this exchange and then, with the whole class, invite individual students to call out their answers and explain the reasons for their decisions.

In the end, tell your students the correct matching pairs of people and articles and ask

for their reactions when they learn the correct answers.

Writing sentences using headline words

Preparation: Choose a number of headlines from a tabloid newspaper and separate them into single words. Utilize these to bring together a sheet of headline words in a mixed order. Then make a copy of this sheet for each pair of students.

In class:

Put the students in pairs and offer each pair a copy of the words sheet. Explain your students where the words have been taken from. Handle with any problem vocabulary.

Explain your students that they should use as many of these words as they can to build up sentences, but mention that there is no need for them to use all the words on the sheet.

Tell them that their sentences can be as short or as long as they want, and that they can use grammatical words such as linking words, articles and pronouns auxiliary verbs which do not appear on the sheet. This is a good chance to underline to your students the elliptical nature of headlines by writing two or four headlines on the board and pointing out the kind of words that are usually omitted.

Explain to your students that as they make use of a word, they should tick it on the

sheet and not use that word again. They should write out in a list the formed sentences they make, adding appropriate punctuation.

As each pair ends, tell them to exchange their list with another pair to check the sentences they have written.

Then ask pairs to read out the sentences, and discuss their accuracy in the class. Solve and discuss any language problems as they arise.

Writing the thoughts of people in photographs

Preparation: Select some dramatic photographs of people with uncommon or interesting expressions on their faces, or who are in unusual situations. The sports pages of newspapers are often a good source for such photographs. Remove any accompanying captions and paste onto a separate sheet of paper, leaving plenty of space for your students to write. You will need about as many photographs as you have students in the class.

In class:

To prove the activity, show the students one of the photographs and ask them to imagine what the person in the photograph might be thinking at that moment. Your students will usually come up with some amusing suggestions, and you should write all their ideas on the board.

Display all the other photograph sheets around the class and explain to your students

that they should study the people in the photos carefully – how they are standing, what they are doing and, in particular, the expressions of their faces. They should then write what they imagine the person in each photo might be thinking at that moment. When they have decided, they should write this on the sheet. They should do this for all the photographs, making sure that they do not repeat any other student’s ideas.

When all the sheets have several contributions, stop this writing stage and ask your students to read each other’s ideas.

Finally, with the whole class, discuss and comment on the most imaginative and amusing thoughts they wrote.

Matching new vocabulary to magazine photographs

Preparation: Choose ten to fifteen different magazine photos which cover a number of subject-matter. The photos you select can be almost polite and common in their content, or they could be irritating and more open to discussion. Remove any accompanying captions and paste the photographs onto a sheet of paper.

In class:

Tell your students to look through their course books or notebooks and find about ten new vocabulary items which they have recently met. Ask them to write each one on a separate slip of paper with their name.

Spread out the photos around the class and ask your students to look at them all.

When they have finished looking at them tell your students to find a connection between the photos and their vocabulary items. They should place each vocabulary slip next to the photo they relate it with. If they want, they can match more than one vocabulary item to a photograph.

When the students have used up all their vocabulary slips, pair the students and ask them to walk around with their partner and tell to each other the relations they made between the photos and their vocabulary items they matched them with.

At the end of the activity, with the whole class, invite the students explain any specific interesting connections they performed themselves or heard from their partner.

Matching adjectives to advertisements

Preparation: Select eight or more large ads from magazines, each of them with a bold heading containing an adjective. Blank out the adjective from each advertisement, paste each ad onto a separate sheet of paper and number each sheet for ease of reference. If needed, add a translation or explanation to deal with any problem vocabulary or language, and display the sheets on walls and board. You should make a note of the adjectives you have erased and the ads they connect with.

In class:

Refer your students to the advertisements displayed around the class and explain that you have deleted one word – an adjective – from each ad. Tell you students that they should read the commercials attentively and try to think of one or more proper adjectives to fill each empty space. They should make a note of their answers, pointing the advertisement number and the adjectives they have selected to fill the gap.

Start the activity. When your students are ready, ask them to compare their answers with a partner.

Finally, check the answers with the whole class and discuss the acceptability of alternative answers they have chosen. Depending on the advertisement you use, an answer may be wrong meaning that it is not suitable, for example, a specific noun in an advertisement. In this case, try to take out from your students what collocations would be possible with their adjectives. This is a good chance to extend your students’ vocabulary by working with each adjective and the words with which it collocates.

ANNEXE 8

OTHER CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES USING VIDEO AND INTERNET

Finding a new flat

Aim: to shop for a new home online

Focus: Describing houses and homes

Sites: http://www.findaproperty.com/coun0001.html

Procedure:

Get students talking about where they live and what they think makes a good home.Get feedback as a group. Each student should imagine they are going to London, some to work in low-paid jobs, some in well-paid jobs. They should be told how much money they have, what they are going to be doing, where they will be studying or working and whether they should be looking for a rental or to buy somewhere.

The students’ assignment is to find a suitable property either to rent or to buy. They must try to find something in the area where they are going to study or work.

Get students in small groups to tell each other what they have found and to describe their new houses.

Suits you

Aim: to talk about fashion and clothing

Focus: Vocabulary related to fashion and clothing

Sites: http://www.frenchconnection.co.uk./collection_06ss.html

Procedure:

Start with the Fashion speaking activity. Make sure all the vocabulary you will need for the activity comes out in this part of the class.

Included here are two examples of online clothes shops- you can select the female or male section and look round their collections. The students should go shopping for new clothes – a virtual shopping trip, with students finding clothes they love the look of and inviting opinion from the others, just as in a real shopping trip.

Get a job

Aim: to find the right job/talk about skills and character

Focus: personality adjectives, describing daily routine

Sites: http://www.queendom.com/tests/personality/type_a_r_access,html

http://quis.ivillage.co.uk/uk_work/test/career.htm

Procedure:

Use a copy of a jobs page from an English language newspaper for an introductory speed reading activity with general comprehension questions such as: which company wants dynamic young managers? Where will you get two months’ paid holiday per year?

Elicit a selection of known jobs and discuss what skills and qualities are necessary for each one.

Start with the Queendom personality quiz – once done, students can find out which jobs suit their personality. If you have already done work on character, go directly to the “What career will suit your personality?”.

Give students a chance to work through the material and come up with a selection of jobs they think may suit them.

You may use the Ideal job activity with the upper-intermediate students.

Daily life

Aim: students learn how to be more familiar with routines

Focus: discussing daily life in India

Preparation: the teacher will need to play the film Amar

In class:

Ask students to read the following video blurb. Explain any unknown vocabulary, for example breadwinner.

Explain that learners are going to watch a film about Amar’ s daily life in his city, a fast- growing industrial city in eastern India. Before doing so, present the students with these questions for discussion in pairs or small groups:

When you were 15, what was your daily life like? What was your routine?

What two jobs do you think Amar does?

What do you think he studies at school?

How do you imagine that Amar gets around the city?

Play the first minute of the video but do not allow students to see the screen yet. They are just listening to the soundtrack at this point. Ask the students to write down any sounds that they hear (e.g. tap running, brushing of teeth, a bicycle, some murmuring of people saying goodbye).

Using their notes, students can visualize images that might appear in the video and describe these to their classmates.

Play the first minute of the video again, this time with the screen in view. They can compare their visualizations with the images in the video. What are the similarities and differences?

Now play the whole film. Ask students to check their answers to the questions in Stage 2.

Get feedback from the class. Then present the students with the following statements about the story. Ask the learners to decide whether they are true or false.

Amar’s mother wakes up at the same time as him.

Amar delivers the newspaper to each person’s door.

He studies.

He takes a shower at 2 pm.

He sleeps about seven hours a night.

As a follow-up activity the students can write a short diary of Amar’s day.

Video dictogloss

Aim: students watch a video and then reconstruct its dialogue from memory

Focus: identifying elements within a dialogue, prediction, role playing dialogue, listening for specific language items.

Preparation: find a video clip in which the dialogue itself acts as an engaging and accessible standalone text. The dialogue must be clear and between 40 and 60 seconds in length. You can select a dialogue to illustrate a particular language item or structure.

In class:

Play your selected clip with the sound off. Students, working in groups, guess the topic of the conversation by looking at body language, gestures etc.

Learners watch the video again with the sound on. Then try to understand as much as possible, individually taking brief notes. Remind them to write down only key words or very short phrases. Not whole sentences. Repeat this step as many as necessary, allowing learners to expand their notes each time they listen.

Students work in pairs and compare their notes. Each pair then tries to build their notes into a complete dialogue, making it as similar to the original as possible.

Students then work in larger groups, comparing their reconstructed dialogues and negotiating any further improvements or changes.

Play the video again with the sound on. The different groups compare their consensus version with the original and notice any differences.

Learners role play their version of the dialogue.

ANNEXE 9

STUDENTS’ WRITTEN DIAGNOSTIC AND ACHIEVEMENT TESTS

a)

b)

c)

d)

ANNEXE 10

STUDENTS’ WORKSHEETS AND WRITTEN PARAGRAPHS

Match the programme types with the pictures then suggest a suitable definition for each of them:

Read the following disordered paragraphs and reconstruct the article:

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DECLARAȚIE DE AUTENTICITATE

privind elaborarea lucrării metodico-științifice pentru gradul didactic I

Subsemnatul/subsemnata: ROMAN ADINA

declar pe propria răspundere că:

lucrarea a fost elaborată personal și îmi aparține în întregime;

nu au fost folosite alte surse decât cele menționate în bibliografie;

nu au fost preluate texte, date sau elemente de grafică din alte lucrări sau din alte surse fără a fi citate și fără a fi precizată sursa preluării, inclusiv în cazul în care sursa o reprezintă alte lucrări ale mele;

lucrarea nu a mai fost folosită în alte contexte de examen sau de concurs.

Data, Semnătura,

F 394.10/Ed. 01