This is my article review.
Nur Izzati Zarin
2005729936
U8B
27/08/2009
The research’s aim is to find out how a cncept, triadic scaffolds can be used to teach English Language Leaners (ELL) with computers. The research is a qualitative research whereby the researcher recorded the class activity in 3 months. The researcher also collected field notes and conducted a 1 ½ hour interview with the teacher Mrs. M. The audio was later being transcript and analyzed. The subjects of the research are two of Mrs. M’s classes and both of the classes are non-native speaker (NNS) students with little command of English. The software that is used in the lesson is native-speaker software which is connected to the themes of the lesson. In this research, it was found that by using triadic scaffold in the lesson, Mrs. M was able to use the computer as an effective referent to teach the students certain concept of English. It also boosts the motivation of the student as computer serve as a tool which engaged student in a lesson compared to the previous methods that Mrs. M had used.
In my opinion, this research is very interesting because it uses a very important concept to teach language which is scaffolding. Scaffolding in my opinion is a concept that promotes learning through the reinforcing correct behaviour to learner according to their level. By reading the article, I found out that computer may be the most suitable medium to teach language towards scaffolding. Firstly, computers in the eyes of students are visually engaging and can boost their motivation to be drawn to the lesson. Secondly, compared to non-media material (flash cards, board, charts, etc), computers can transform to any desired form and the storage of the material is easier to be managed. For example, computer can be a series of flashcards when the teacher created slides of photo and pictures and at the same time computer can be a board when the teacher typed something and it is showed at the monitor. Finally, the computer can anchor the teacher to manipulate his or her action to draw students’ attention. For example, in the research, Mrs. M used every feature of the computer around the lesson. She used the hardware of the computer to teach the sound /m/, she also used the computer to scaffold the student to understand the concept of turns and plus, she used the computer as an opportunity to teach problem solving skills when the computer is faulty. In other words, I think the last example that I’ve given can prove that computer when it is faulty, can still be functioning as a medium to learn language. This is something clearly provides advantage compared to other medium.
I think the research can be perfected if it was conducted in experimental method. By using experimental method, not only we can see the change in students visually but perhaps the significant of the concept can be proven by having an empirical result that can be compared to the control group. If the experimental result shows positive significant change in the students’ result compared to the control group, it can further strengthen the advantages of using triadic scaffolding in lesson using computers.
The research gives a good insight to our Malaysian school system. Firstly, it shows not only the software of the computers can be beneficial but also the overall visual or building of the computer itself can be engaging. Secondly, I think that Malaysian teachers should realize that computers should not be the main front runner in the lesson but teacher and computer must be hand-in-hand in the lesson. In the research, I found out that the teacher did not let the computer to override her lesson but instead she weaved the computer into the lesson itself. Some teachers are so immersed with the technology until they have forgotten that their touches are still needed in the lesson. Overall, I think the article has benefited me in many ways and it enlightens me on how to use computer on many levels in my lesson.
Citation:
9/10
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