http://www.esl-lab.com
- What does the application attempt to “teach”?
As what is understood from the website’s name itself, the application attempts to teach listening skill to the users, as well as vocabulary, sentence structure, as well as pronunciation. The website has provided various types of listening audios to be listened to, that are suited to various level of learners. As what can be viewed from the website, the listening component is divided into six categories. Each category complements learners’ purposes in learning English, from the very basic word-by-word listening practice to the more complicated conversation on a variety of interesting topics.
- What sorts of things is the application user expected to do with regards to learning the content?
In order to explore and learn the content of this particular website, the learners have to click on the topic that they want to learn and each link will bring the learners to different site. The site contents a brief explanation about the audio that they are going to listen to, including some questions for pre-listening activity. The command boxes for audio-playing are clearly set in the center of the site (which is very user-friendly) and the learners can listen right away through their audio player after clicking the box.
List of questions are also provided on the same site for while listening activity. Therefore the learners will not just merely ‘listen’ to the audio, but also truly in attempt to understand the whole conversation/ text because they have to answer the related questions while listening. The score can be retrieved right away after finish answering all the simple questions. Therefore, the learners will be able to know the correct answers and compare it to theirs. The audio is operating using Windows Media Player/ Real Player (depends on which application the learners more comfortable with). It can be played over and over again, perhaps until the learners satisfied with what they have listened to and have grabbed all the relevant input that they want to take in for learning purpose.
- What sort of computer skills is the application users expected to have in order to operate/ access/ use the application?
As mentioned before, this application is as simple as ABC and user-friendly. Those who claim themselves as digital-divide will not have an excuse to not to try this particular application. It is because, I believe, no matters how distance one’s chemistry with computer/ technology, he/ she will definitely know how to use audio-player. That it what this application all about; (i) click on the link, (ii) read the instructions, (iii) click on the selected command box - it will be followed by a popping-out Media Player/ Real Player, and last but not least, (iv) listen to the recording. It is actually as simple as playing songs using Winamp/ Media Player/ Real Player or whatever audio player that you have in your personal computer. Other than that, the learners only need the instruction carefully and complete the listening practice as recommended on the website.
- While you are “playing”/ “accessing”/ “assessing” the application, does it remind you of anything you do in classroom, or with a teacher, or with a fellow classmate, or in self-study?
Yes, definitely. This particular listening practice reminds me to listening class that I had during my primary school years. At that time, teachers used cassette and they had to bring a radio into the class in order to teach listening. Sometimes the cassettes functioned well, and sometimes it didn’t. Therefore the teacher had to think of another alternative to teach listening rather than solely rely on the dysfunctional cassette. However, nowadays, regardless of CDs that are being sold in the market, the audios for listening class can be easily retrieved from the net as what we can found on esl-lab.com.
- Can you pinpoint some theories of language learning and/ or teaching underlying the application?
The main theory of language learning underlies the application is Audio Lingual Method. This particular method focused on aural/ oral skills and come to be known as the “Army Method” (Brown, 2001). As time goes by, this method evolves and finally known as The Audiolingual Method (ALM) in the 1950s.
ALM involves oral activities such as pronunciation, pattern drills and conversation practice. As what can be viewed from the website, the listening activities provided do consist of such oral activities. However, for conversation practice, it is more to mimicry drill in which the learners learn the language through imitation and memorization of set phrases, rather than converse it in more interactive and realistic means.
- How well is the constructivist theory of learning applied to the chosen website(s)?
Dewey, Piaget and Vygotsky are some of the well-known names in constructivist theory of learning. Basically in constructivism, learners construct knowledge for themselves, and each learner individually and socially constructs meaning as he learns (Hein, G.E., 1991). Therefore when a learner is able to construct meaning from what he is exploring, this is when the learning process takes place.
Particularly, for this website constructivist theory of learning is not fully applied. The learners only have to listen to the audio that being played and answer the questions. Since constructivism believes in social activity in learning, this application does not provide the learners with such purpose. The learners do not have opportunity to interact with others or involve in the conversation.
However, by repeatable audio according to the chosen level of competency, as well as simple questions, the learners will be able to re-listen to the conversation over and over again, no matter how much time they will take to do so. This particular learning behaviour fulfills one of constructivists’ principles, which is, as stated by Guofang Wan, Rex Tanimoto, Rosalyn Anstine Templeton (2008), ‘learning is the result of repeated exposure and thought’.
- In 1980s and early 1990s, there was a major debate on ‘whether the computer was “master” of or “slave” to the learning process (Higgins and Johns, 1984). In relation to your evaluation – was the computer a replacement of teachers, or merely an obedient servant to students?
In my opinion, there is no way human inventions could replace the role of teachers in teaching. No matter how good the application is, it is nothing to be compared to the traditional way of teaching and learning. It is somehow true that computer is merely an obedient servant to students, since in most of language learning websites users have the authority in controlling the pace of the lesson. They can choose what they want to learn as well as avoiding things they are not interested to learn. It is wrong to claim computer as a ‘master’, instead it is more suitable if we say computer as complementary to the teaching and learning process. It is not impossible to learn English through websites, such as esl-lab.com, but learners will be lacking of authentic experiences and responses that they need when learning language (in which will help to boost up their motivation to learn more) compared to those who learn it in traditional teacher-student environment.
- Would you like to use the application yourself in your future work?
Yes? Give reasons:
I would use this application in my future work because it is one of the easiest ways in retrieving audios to teach listening. There are many topics available, and we can choose which audio that we want to use according to our students’ level of proficiency. Activities for each stage; pre-while-post listening are also provided on the website so it would be time-saving for teachers – they may add up to make it more interesting and relevant to the class context.
No? Give reasons:
- Suggestions/ Recommendations.
In my opinion, this website would be more remarkable if the audios are downloadable so that the listening practice could be done anywhere and at anytime possible. If the listening audios are easily archived, therefore teachers can bring in the audios into the class to be used as teaching instruments. Since not every school is equipped with internet access (particularly in the class), at least, with the downloadable listening audios, teachers could share with the students an interesting way to learn English.
From my personal experience, there are often cases learners become sleepy and eventually fall asleep when the listening class is carried out. Therefore, in order to make the learning process to be more effective, rather than solely relies on audios to teach listening, the application may attract more learners if it includes visual (i.e. a clip of two persons conversing) to increase learners’ comprehension towards what they are listening to. Besides playing a role as ‘an alarm clock’ for the restless, the use of visual also can be one of the motivation catalysts for the learners.
