Most recent English Teaching Programs are based on Web Quests, and teaching English has become all the easier because of them. The relationship between Web Quests and teaching English does not need much of analyzing, considering the wide acceptance of Internet as a useful teaching tool.
However, this brings up the vital issue as to what Web Quests are! Truly speaking, Internet in spite of being an effective teaching tool contains a lot of vague information, which really do not benefit learners. To be used as a teaching tool for English Language Programs, online contents need methodical arrangement, to form WEB QUESTS.
According to one of the earliest definitions (offered by Bernie Dodge), Web Quests are "an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with, comes from resources on the Internet..." Philip Benz has come up with a more refined description of Web Quests, identifying Web Quests as a 'constructivist approach to learning', which aided by proper 'guidance' and 'scaffolding' helps students pick up English comparatively effortlessly and rapidly than they would in traditional classroom sessions.
As a teacher, Web Quests allow you initiate your students into practical learning. All you need to do is create dynamic learning environments with the help of existing Web Quests.
Content-based language learning projects with specific goals, Web Quests require ESL/EFL teachers to involve student groups in challenging real life tasks and pursuits, providing them access to online resources.
These dealings with real-life/ authentic issues hone the problem-solving and thinking skills of the students while making the learning process even more interesting. Web Quests also help nurture co-operative (collaborative) learning skills in students, involving them in complex contexts. (This serves two principal goals of language teaching - communication as well as sharing of knowledge).
Of course, as a teacher you will first need to explain the activity to the learners before involving them in it. Communicating the purpose and benefits of the project are no less important. Conveying some background information on the topic and providing some practice with the vocabulary to the learners are the other essential steps that scaffold the learning process to the project.
These explanatory notes and directions provided by you (as an instructor) will enable your students collate and organize information available on the Web.
As a teacher, you need to judge the aptness of an Internet based Web Quest module before implementing it in your ELP curricula.
Base your judgment and plan your teaching sessions on the following criteria:
- Go for subject matters that present different aspects and perspectives.
- Content should be essentially authentic, interesting and thought provoking (topics that involve visuals and aids like sound and animation are more inspiring)
- Again, the topic should match the intelligence and awareness level of the learners.
- The activities based on the topic too should agree with their level of understanding. (For learners' convenience, the tasks can be organized into sub-tasks in order of increasing complexity).
- When selecting groups, team up skilled students with less talented ones. This will help you improve group as well as individual standards.
To end, we emphasize once again that Web Quests and Teaching English share a unique relationship because Web Quests provide an authentic environment for problem solving and processing information. No wonders, Web Quests have become one of the most popular tools for teaching English - motivating learners, initiating higher judging skills in them and fostering collaborative skills in them.
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