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Hello and welcome to my e-portfolio! My name is Nik Nur Ainun Tasnim Binti Nik Mohd Hakimi. I was born in Tumpat, Kelantan and I am now taking my degree in Teaching Language as a Second Language (TESL) at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI).

I've chosen to pursue a major in Teaching English as a Second Language because I'm interested in how the language works. I also want to help others to overcome the challenges in learning the language and achieve success and become proficient in said language.

In this e-portfolio, I will be sharing my own perception on the English Language Curriculum and the concepts used in the classroom.

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The Secondary English language curriculum of Malaysia is designed to encourage the development of critical language skills. The document provides a clear, structured framework for how the four core skills: Listening, speaking, reading and writing are developed and improved. It focuses on improving the students' proficiency level through a more structured approach with the integration of the four language skills mentioned earlier. It helps to develop communicative competence and prepare individuals for academic and professional use of English.

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CEFR is the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. It is an international standard to describe language ability. It describes language ability with six levels of proficiency.

A1 - individuals understands basic phrases

A2 - able to communicate simple descriptions

B1 - Able to handle everyday topics/situations

B2 - Able to speak fluently and understand a few complex ideas

C1 - Express solid ideas/desc and has a deeper understanding of topics

C2 - Mastering of the language, almost native fluency

It is used in Malaysia's Education as it provides a unified system for assessing language proficiency. English language proficiency is a critical skill one must have for communication, education and employment aspects. As it categorizes the learners' language abilities, it is easier to identify students proficiency and understand their strengths and weaknesses, leading to improvisations to help them develop their proficiency further.

CEFR is also used to align our English education with global standards and helps in designing curricular frameworks and assessment tools that are in line with international practices.

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Language Learning Strategies and Styles are both essential tools that shapes how individuals approach language learning. By understanding and applying these effectively, it can significantly enhance the learning process. Language Learning styles refers to a general approach preferred when learning a language whereas learning strategies refers to specific actions taken by learners to make their learning more understanding, fun and easier.

Visual learners prefer visuals such as pictures, charts, written instructions.

Audio learners prefer learning through listening to an audio, lectures or discussions.

Kinesthetic learners requires hands-on activities, movements and experiments.

The first learning style theory is

Behaviorism, introduced by Skinner. It focuses on observing behaviors and learn how behaviors can be determined by interacting with the environment.

Classical conditioning by Pavlov refers to association that involves an involuntary response and a stimulus.

Operant conditioning by Skinner involves a voluntary behavior from learners and a consequence, either it is good or bad.

Stimulus Response is where a specific stimulus leads to a predictable response and it emphasizes on direct observation.

Reinforcement is divided into both positive and negative. Positive reinforcement is crucial to encourage desired behaviors while negative reinforcement discourage unwanted behaviors.

Innatism, introduced by Chomsky refers to certain knowledge or skills are innate and does not require extensive learning from the environment.

It is mentioned that humans are born w an inherent ability to acquire languages and indicates that linguistic capability is hardwired into the human's brain. This refers to the Language Acquisition Device.

Universal grammar is where languages shares a set of grammatical rules.

Cognitivism by Piaget emphasizes on the role of mental processes in learning. Learning is viewed as a process of acquiring and retrieving information and students are active participants in learning processes.

Sociocultural theory, introduced by Vygotsky emphasizes on influences of social interactions and cultural contexts.

Learning occurs through social interactions such as holding conversations and having discussions.

Zone of Proximal Development, known as ZPD, talks about the difference between what a learner is able to do and achieve independently and what they can achieve with guidance from a more knowledgeable person, like the teacher.

Constructivism is where learners construct their own understanding and knowledge thru experience and reflections. Knowledge is constructed through active engagement in lesson. Social interaction and collaboration with their peers enhance their learning experience and improve their knowledge.

Field Independence refers to individuals that are able to separate details from their surroundings. They are more strongly influenced by their knowledge base and are adept in identifying specific elements, which then allows them to think and solve problems. They prefer to learn on their own and tasks that allow them to work and explore concepts individually.

Whereas field dependence refers to individuals that are strongly influenced by contextual factors as additional information. They are more reliant on their surroundings and others' behaviors around them to complete their tasks. They perform better in situations that requires them to socialize and in groups.

Ambiguity tolerance refers to a degree which an individual can handle uncertainty and ambiguous situations/topics. Individuals with a higher tolerance are comfortable with unclear concepts/complex information and are still able to make a decision without needing all the details and feeling anxious. Those with a lower tolerance may feel overwhelmed and anxious in situations where tehy lack the knowledge of a certain topic or lacking clear instructions.

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Big 3 Learning Theories: Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism! Intro to ID Part 4 of 6

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Language Learning and Communication Strategies:

Metacognitive allows learners to control their own learning by planning, monitoring and review their lesson, set goals and reflect on their progress.

Social strategies helps learners to interact with others, such as asking questions or hold a conversation.

Affective strategies help learners gain control over their emotions, attitudes, motivations and their values.

Memory help students acquire, store and retrieve information they've learned.

Compensation allow learners to communicate despite having deficiencies in their language knowledge.

Cognitive enables learners to understand and produce new language, where techniques like summarizing and note taking can help them retain the language material.

Communication strategies is divided into two. Avoidance and Compensatory.

Avoidance includes message abandonment and topic avoidance. learners may leave a message or sentence unfinished due to language difficulties and avoid certain areas in topics or concepts.

Compensatory includes circumlocution, approximation, use of all purpose words, word coinage, prefabricated patterns, literal translation, nonlinguistic signals, foreignizing, code-switching, appealing for help and stalling. They may describe the object of an action, use an alternative form that describes the meaning of the object, create a nonexistent second language, using memorized phrases, miming a gesture or facial expressions, asking for aid either directly or discreetly/indirectly, and using their first language by adjusting it into their seconds language phonology.

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Kagan Cooperative Learning Strategies are structured methods for more interactive, students centered activities which promotes teamwork, engagement and communication. These are developed by Dr. Spencer Kagan.

Classroom Engagement Strategies:

RallyRobin - Partners alternate responses to a prompt/question/idea

Timed Pair Share - Partners share ideas for a set time and later on switch their roles

Numbered Heads Together - Students discuss answers in a team and one will be chosen to respond

Quiz-Quiz-trade - Students quiz a partner, trade cards and find a new partner to do the activity again

Showdown - Teams will collaborate to answer a question and then compare their answers

Team Building Strategies

Team interview - students take turns asking their teammates question to build a rapport or an understanding towards each individuals and their answers

RoundRobin - students share responses one at a time in a circle or a group

Team Stand-N-Share - Teams stand and share their groups ideas with the class

Find Someone Who - students mingle with their classmates to find who meet certain criteria

Team Chant - teams create a chant or slogan to build team identity

Critical Thinking Strategies

Think-Pair-Share - Students will think independently, discuss with a partner and then share with the group

Fan-N-Pick - One student fans out cards while another picks and answer the question

Sage-N-Scribe - One student will be the sage, who will explain while the other, the scribe, will write. Roles will be switched later

Simultaneous RoundTable - Students write ideas on paper, pass it around for others to add onto it

Carousel Feedback - Groups will rotate around stations and leaving feedbacks at each one of them

Problem Solving Strategies

Consensus Decision Making - Students discuss until they agree on a solution/answer

Mix-Pair-Share - Students mingle, pair up and share responses to a question

RallyTable - Partners alternate writing responses on paper

Think-Write-RoundRobin - Students think individually, write their ideas and share in a group

Three-Step Interview - Students will take turns being the interviewer, interviewee and reporter

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Review and Mastery Strategies

Inside-Out-Circle - Students form 2 circles and share answers as they rotate

All Write Consensus - Teams discuss and agree on a written group answer

Travel-N-Tell - Students visit other groups to learn and share their own groups work

Showdown Captain - One student will act as a captain, presenting the group's consensus/opinion

RoundTable Consensus - Students write one idea at a time and ensure that everyone agrees

Social Skills and Classroom Management

Silent Round Robin - Students take turns writing responses silently to ensure inclusivity in class

Pairs Compare - Two pairs share their answers, then combine them into one

StandUp-HandUp-PairUp - Students stand, find a partner and share ideas

Classbuilding Circles - Students stand in a circle and share responses one by one

Team Jigsaw - Each team member becomes an expert on a topic and teaches it to the group

Higher-Order Thinking Strategies

Structured Problem Solving - Students follow step-by-step instructions to tackle complex problems

Four Corners Debate - Students move to corners based on their opinions and discuss w each other

Who Am I? - Students ask yes/no questions to figure out their assigned identity (on a card or paper)

Spin-N-Discuss - Teams spin a topic wheel and discuss the selected topic

Consensus Carousel - Teams contribute to various prompts or tasks at stations, rotating frequently.

With these strategies being implemented into teaching and learning, it will make teaching and learning a language even more exciting and engaging for the students, further increasing their enthusiasm and curiosity to learn more about the language.

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Motivation is the driving force that encourages students to engage and participate in learning.

It shapes how they perceive the information and respond to lessons given to them, making it one of the crucial elements of effective teaching.

Motivation is divided into two types, instrumental motivation and integrative motivation.

For instrumental motivation, students perceive English as a tool for achieving practical goals such as passing exams or career advancement.

Integrative motivation is where students admire the target culture and wants to be apart of said culture, leading them to engage more during lessons and enhance their success in the classroom.

Without these motivations, the students may struggle or resist the idea of bilingualism.

Teachers can help to sustain their enthusiasm by making the lessons more engaging and fun, cultivate a love for English language and pick contents/topics that aligns with the students motivations and interests.

i.e incorporating games in lessons to make it more interactive and encourage them to learn English outside of the class, whether it be by social medias, games or exchanging information and conversations.

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In short, CEFR is implemented into our Secondary English Language Curriculum to ensure students can improve on their English and obtain communicative competence. It is also aligned with our SBELC so that certain objectives that are set can be achieved and students can understand the topics being discussed better as it can relate to them in the cultural context. By understanding cognitive learning strategies and learning styles, effective language learning can be achieved. Tailoring lessons to the preferences and needs of the students enhances the learning outcome and creates an inclusive, supportive and engaging environment for diverse learners. That is all from me, thank you.

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Akbarov, A., & Arslan, M. (2010). SLA implications to language learning strategies and pedagogy. In 2nd International Symposium on Sustainable Development. A Conference Paper (pp. 14-20).

CEFR:

https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams-and-tests/cefr/#:~:text=The%20Common%20European%20Framework%20of%20Reference%20for%20Languages%20(CEFR)%20is,who%20have%20mastered%20a%20language.

https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/factors-affecting-language-learning-strategies-41014800/41014800

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About the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is an international standard for describing language ability. It describes language ability on a six-point scale, from A1 for beginners, up to C2 for those who have mastered a language. This makes it easy for anyone involved in language teaching and testing, such as teachers or learners, to see the level of different qualifications. It also means that employers and educational institutions can easily compare our qualifications to other exams in their country.

What exams are on the CEFR?

The diagram below shows all of our English exams on the CEFR.

*Linguaskill reports up to a maximum score of 180+ , which equates to C1 (or above) on the CEFR scale.

Download a larger version of the CEFR diagram
More information about the CEFR

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common european framework of reference for languages

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The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and international language standards explained by the experts at Cambridge English.