English Language Arts

Using ICTs to promote English language Arts learning

Cheryl Walsh, Memorial University of Newfoundland

Smith (2013) identified a number of challenges associated with teaching English Language Arts in K-12 school settings that included not only what to teach students but also how to keep students motivated throughout the learning experience. Teachers spend a considerable amount of time marking English assessments therefore there is an increased length of time for when students receive feedback (Tay, Lim, Lim, & Koh, 2012). There is also a challenge when you have students with mixed abilities in the same class (McGrail, 2005). Added to these challenges is the emphasis that writing is not just an individual project-based activity but a "social, process-oriented activity that stresses critical relationship between writing and other language processes, such as reading, speaking, and listening" (McKenney & Voogt, 2011, p.709). Teachers also need to consider the relationship that exists between "readers, writers, texts, contexts, and the situations in which texts are written and read" (Swenson, Rozema, & Young, 2005). Traditionally, curriculum has centered on the printed text (Young, Long, & Myers, 2010) and students' study of literacy and language was teacher driven primarily occurring in the classroom or as an independent study at home (Swenson, Rozema, & Young, 2005). English educators also face challenges of figuring which textual forms to include in instruction and prioritizing the attention given to the various forms (Young, Long, & Myers, 2010).

Other challenges with face-to-face learning in Language Arts include students with language-based disabilities, expressive and receptive language issues, and those who are too timid and refuse to speak in English class (Cumming, & Rodriguez, 2013). In addition, some students have poor critical thinking skills, difficulty verbalizing and sharing their ideas through their writing and anxiety with learning English (Foulger & Jimenez-Silva, 2007). As well, complex tasks sometimes cause frustration as students must pay attention to "topic organization, grammatical correctness, vocabulary, word choice, genre principles and sentence variety" (Foulger & Jimenez-Silva, 2007, p. 110).

Problems

Smith (2013) identified a number of challenges associated with teaching English Language Arts in K-12 school settings that included not only what to teach students but also how to keep students motivated throughout the learning experience. Teachers spend a considerable amount of time marking English assessments therefore there is an increased length of time for when students receive feedback (Tay, Lim, Lim, & Koh, 2012). There is also a challenge when you have students with mixed abilities in the same class (McGrail, 2005). Added to these challenges is the emphasis that writing is not just an individual project-based activity but a "social, process-oriented activity that stresses critical relationship between writing and other language processes, such as reading, speaking, and listening" (McKenney & Voogt, 2011, p.709). Teachers also need to consider the relationship that exists between "readers, writers, texts, contexts, and the situations in which texts are written and read" (Swenson, Rozema, & Young, 2005). Traditionally, curriculum has centered on the printed text (Young, Long, & Myers, 2010) and students' study of literacy and language was teacher driven primarily occurring in the classroom or as an independent study at home (Swenson, Rozema, & Young, 2005). English educators also face challenges of figuring which textual forms to include in instruction and prioritizing the attention given to the various forms (Young, Long, & Myers, 2010).

Other challenges with face-to-face learning in Language Arts include students with language-based disabilities, expressive and receptive language issues, and those who are too timid and refuse to speak in English class (Cumming, & Rodriguez, 2013). In addition, some students have poor critical thinking skills, difficulty verbalizing and sharing their ideas through their writing and anxiety with learning English (Foulger & Jimenez-Silva, 2007). As well, complex tasks sometimes cause frustration as students must pay attention to "topic organization, grammatical correctness, vocabulary, word choice, genre principles and sentence variety" (Foulger & Jimenez-Silva, 2007, p. 110).

Obstacles

McGrail (2007) reported negative outcomes of computer use such as student difficulty with formal writing since they tended to use online conventions such as the "complete elimination of any capital letters, the use of slang, and lots of misspellings". McGrail (2007) expressed concern that students might lose the ability to express themselves with acceptable language conventions. However, (Foulger and Jimenez-Silva (2007) reported that "multimedia and telecommunications captured student interest by offering more opportunities for collaboration and interaction" (p. 118) which motivated them to go beyond what was required. Cumming and Draper Rodriguez (2013) reported student success with the use of iPads for learning English since students used them as portable dictionaries.

Cumming and Draper Rodriguez (2013) reported that some students got bored with using the Language Builder application. Lin, Lee, and Chen (2004) however reported that online puzzles and appropriate language arts games can be used in the writing classroom to keep students engaged.

According to McNab (2005), students who struggled with spatial processing, and attention/memory problems experienced difficulty reading hypertext. Cumming and Draper Rodriguez (2013) identified the effectiveness of the iPod touch and the iPad for reading difficulties. They found these ICTs used for audio textbooks allowed students to locate words more quickly and to hear words pronounced correctly.

McGrail (2005) identified a need for students to develop critical literacy skills where they needed to learn to sort out what is a good source of information. Smith (2013) noted that when technology was integrated well, digital fabrication could provide students with an opportunity to engage in hands-on discovery learning.