Unit 2 - Phase 3 - Proposal of an action plan - Action Plan

What is the problem you want to address?

I would like to "Analyze the impact of students being free to select and bring into the classroom visual material of their interests (short-films) to foster classroom debating."

What outcome do you hope to achieve with this project?
I would like to be able to offer evidence to the fact that letting students bring into the classroom learning tools of their preference fosters students' interest to participate, debate, discuss and create around language learning.

• Context of the Problem

What evidence do you have that there is something that needs changing in your locus of control?

According to the Oxford learner's dictionary freedom refers to the power or right to do or say what you want without anyone stopping you. (Definition of freedom noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary) But taking account that a classroom dynamic should be a monitored and guided experience in which teachers take the place of advisors, It would also be important to take into account Lon Fuller’s conceptualization of freedom: Fuller states an important differentiation between “freedom to,” which implies choice among a range of alternatives, and “freedom from,” which Fuller points out can accommodate any ideology no matter how antithetical to human choice.

Bearing in mind Fuller’s differentiation we can state that students’ freedom to choose and propose classroom materials would increase students' interests in participating and interacting based on monitored classroom experiences that encourage students’ will to perform, discover, discuss, negotiate and come up with quality-type interventions and ideas that are connected and related to their personal realities and needs, which is many times let outside, when classroom material is mainly or only systematized and imposed.

What can you find from reading background literature that may help you plan your intervention?

I will analyze research articles, results and assumptions built around the belief that students’ freedom to select classroom material helps to construct ideal experiences for them to express their thoughts and wishes without being afraid of disturbing or interrupting curruculum’s content and teachers’ instruction. I would also address studies and findings related to the impact of short-films employed as classroom tools in teaching a second language.

What makes you think your idea is a good one?

Students experience increased motivation and more efficient acquisition if teachers give them more influence on what method and material to use. In addition, if students are included in the decision making, the teaching stands a better chance of being individualized because who knows better what level to work at, than the students themselves? (Eriksson and Jacobsson 2001:9)

Briefly, what are you going to do to fix the issue you identified above?

To be able to improve students' performances and interventions quality and naturality in classroom dynamics, I will offer them the opportunity to explore and investigate topics of their interest captured in short-films, so that they have freedom to choose visual material that they can bring into classroom exposition and discussion sessions or to work at home around a linguistic or lexical assignment.

How will technology help improve the situation?

Technology will be part of the improvement of this situation because students will be asked to look for materials of their interest to motivate their participation in class and to be able to share things that they like and inspire them to learn the target language, thus, finding the selected material will required internet surfing and sources identification, and exposing the proposed material in class will required students and teachers to implement technology tools such as laptops, computers, tablets, or video beams.

Estimated Time Frames:

• Phase 1: Analyze students' perceptions of freedom.
• Phase 2: Analyze students’ perceptions of interesting classroom materials.
• Phase 3: Analyze students’ perceptions of short-films to address classroom topics.
• Phase 4: Analyze the impact of students’ free-selection of visual material on the improvement of their participation and motivation.

 

• Data Gathering Tools for Evaluation

Focused interviews
The prime objective of the interviewer in terms of a focused interview is to restrict the respondent to an argument of problems with which he seeks discussion. Such interviews are conducted commonly in the expansion of making hypotheses and make up a bigger sort of shapeless interviews. (Buriro, A., Awan, Jawad & A, Lanjwani, 2017, pg. 4)

 

Figure 1

I consider this method a good way to gather the data needed since participants do not have research participating background and with it, it will be possible to guide the interview assuring safeness for students feel comfortable and counseled to answer in accordance to what needs to be reached.
Figure 1: Focused Interview Question - Examples

Why is this important to do?

I believe analyzing the impact of students’ freedom to select, propose and bring visual materials into the classroom to foster classroom debating and proposing attitudes from their perspective is an interesting foundation students and even teachers may feel related to and interested in. It would help break the borders of traditional and structured curriculum content, and it may offer possibilities for new classroom dynamics to be allowed.

Who is the audience that might want to know about this?
The target audience for this action place to take place would be secondary school students and teachers.

• References:

Eriksson, Rigmor & Jacobsson, Annsofi. 2001. Språk för livet. Idébok i språkdidaktik. Stockholm: Liber AB

Figure 1. Competency-Focused Interview Question - Examples by Unknown author, n.d. Case Western Reserve University website. https://case.edu/hr/sites/case.edu.hr/files/2018-01/Competency_interview_questions.pdf
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. (2022). Freedom: noun. https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/freedom?q=freedom
Priel, Dan, "Lon Fuller's Political Jurisprudence of Freedom" (2013). Comparative Research in Law & Political Economy. Research Paper No. 55/2013. http://digitalcommons.osgoode.yorku.ca/clpe/297