by Eunice Tang and Venus Kam

Differentiated instruction starts with instructors who ‘mark/identify in both students and possible teaching strategies and make adjustments according to what will benefit students most and best facilitate learning in the classroom’ (Blaz, 2016).  

Before this term even emerged in our head, we were discussing our students in different course sections with contrastive learning styles and trying to put our heads together about what we can do more for quiet sections. Were they introverts? Did they prefer listening to speaking? And we even wondered if they had a lack of interest in learning? Should we give them more time to think? Should we let students contribute to the class in different media like polling and writing – not just speaking? Should we add some warm-up questions before the first questions in the lesson materials? 

This was our initial stage trying to identify the needs and possible teaching strategies for our students in different sections. As can be seen in the questions above, initially we considered students’: 

• Possibility of having different personalities; 

• Different learning preferences or forms of presentation; 

• Motivation for learning; 

• Readiness to contribute their ideas; 

• Reactions to interactive and digital technology; 

• Assistance needed for understanding the initial questions in the materials – and so on.   

The process does not stop here, and neither does Blaz (2016)’s definition: ‘they then develop and implement, bit by bit, the characteristics of a differentiated classroom’. This is followed by a stage of ‘development’ - ‘assessment, evaluation and reflection are the keys to finding what works and what doesn’t work, and trying to fix the latter’. 

Venus and I will share with you in the next article more about our application of these scholarship-informed principles in our classrooms.  

Reference:  

Blaz, D. (2016) Differentiated instruction: a guide for world language teachers. New York: Routledge   

Short Descriptions

The main focus of this study is investigating introvert and extrovert university students’ perception of the use of interactive digital tools (such as Padlet and Mentimeter) in a face-to-face English for Specific Purposes (ESP) class after all classes in the university had been switched to online mode for three semesters. The pandemic has given educators various opportunities to use interactive digital tools in class, especially in an online environment. It is interesting for educators to explore the potential of such tools when classes are back face-to-face. This research thus offers the students’ perspective to using interactive digital tools in a face-to-face classroom. While a lot have been said about introvert students responding positively to digital learning online, the students’ perception of their own personality collected in the survey and the impact digital tools have on their contribution to class may shed some light about the potential of interactive digital tools in a post-pandemic era.

Possible Benefits

Psychology for learning and teaching is one of the areas that has been less talked about at the CLE but is an area of interest I discovered earlier in this semester. This study will be presented in a conference that is one of the less common conferences dedicated to the psychology of language learning and teaching. While this study is based on a reflection on the use of interactive digital tools in my own classrooms, it is interesting to hear the students’ voice in relation to the psychological aspects. In a so-called ‘post-pandemic’ era, the discussion of whether we should keep the practice of using interactive digital tools in class and how it affects student with different personalities to learn is definitely worth discussions in the CLE.

Deliverables

Presentation at the International Conference on Psychology of Language and Language Learning in July 2022

Study Focus

This study presented at the Psychology of Language and Language Learning on July 28, 2022 in London was to investigate introvert and extrovert university students’ perception of the use of interactive digital tools (such as Padlet and Mentimeter) in a face-to-face English for Specific Purposes (ESP) class after all classes in the university had been switched to online mode for three semesters.

Subjects and Methods

The subjects of the study were business students in LABU2040. The basic tool for data collection was an anonymous online survey, which included 3 required multiple-choice questions and 3 open questions (2 required; 1 optional) about the effects of interactive digital tools on their amount of contribution to the class discussions, their perception of the role of interactive digital tools to the sharing of ideas and whether the students considered themselves introvert or extrovert. The survey results were then analyzed qualitatively, particularly on the effect the use of interactive digital tools had on the amount of contribution to the class among introvert and extrovert students, their perception of a language class with and without digital tools and most importantly, the implication to educators about how interactive digital tools can be used (or not) to cater for the needs of the introvert and extrovert students.

Result highlights

•The use of interactive, digital tools resulted in an increase in the amount of contribution from students and the number of students who contributed to the class activities. They allowed anonymous responses to be given, making some students more comfortable sharing their thoughts.

•Introvert students tended to feel less pressured with the use of the digital tools and participated more in class without having to volunteer. They have expressed that this is an alternative that let them become more confident and ready.

•Extrovert students also said that the tool let everyone participate in class, even for shy people or when they are tired. They pointed out that the digital tools enable the ideas to be visualized and retrievable after class.

The pandemic has given educators various opportunities to use interactive digital tools in class, especially in an online environment. It is interesting for educators to explore the potential of such tools when classes are back face-to-face. This research thus offers the students’ perspective on using interactive digital tools in a face-to-face classroom. While a lot has been said about introverted students responding positively to digital learning online, the student's perception of their own personality collected in the survey and the digital impact tools have on their contribution to class may shed some light on the potential of interactive digital tools in a post-pandemic era.