Didactic fundamentals used in the english language

UNIVERSIDAD PEDAGÓGICA DE EL SALVADOR FACULTY OF EDUCATION

DIDACTIC FUNDAMENTALS USED IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING, SECOND YEAR OF GENERAL HIGH SCHOOL, COMPLEJO EDUCATIVO REFUGIO SIFONTES, SAN SALVADOR, 2010-2011

GRADUATION WORK PRESENTED BY GARCÍA CAMPOS JESSICA ISELI LÓPEZ DE JORGE ESTER NOEMY

ADVISOR B.A. EMILIO PACHECO

TO OBTAIN THE DEGREE OF: LICENCIADO EN EDUCACION MAJOR: ENGLISH

San Salvador, December of 2011 1

INDEX CHAPTER ONE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK INTRODUCTION 1. OBJECTIVES……………..…………………………………………………. 1 1.1 GENERAL OBJECTIVE 1.2 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES 2. ANTECEDENTS OF THE PROBLEM ….…….……………………….

2

3. JUSTIFICATION………………………………………………….……....

12

4. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM…………………………….………

14

5. ACHIEVEMENTS AND LIMITATIONS………………………………..

16

6. CONCEPTS AND CATEGORIES…………………………..................

18

CHAPTER TWO THEORETICAL FRAMEWOK 7. THEORETICAL-METHODOLOGICAL FUNDAMENTATION………… 19

8. EMPIRICAL FRAMEWORK………………………………………...........

36

8.1 MONOGRAPH..…………………………………………………..

36

9. INSTRUMENT USED DURING THE RESEARCH …………………...

49

10. THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL RESEARCH FORMULATION………………………………………………………

81

11. DEVELOPMENT AND THEORETICAL DEFINITION….……………

83

2

CHAPTER THREE

OPERATIVE FRAMEWOK

12. DESCRIPTION OF THE SUBJECTS OF INVESTIGATION.………

85

13. PROCEDURE FOR GATHERING DATA……………………………

87

14. SPECIFICATION OF THE TECHNIQUES OF DATA ANALYSIS … 89 15. CHRONOGRAM ………………………………………………………

90

16. DESCRIPTION OF THE RESOURCES …………………………...

93

17. PRELIMINARY INDEX ABOUT THE FINAL REPORT …………..

95

18. BIBLIOGRAPHY REFERENCES ……………………………………

97

3

INTRODUCTION

The present research shows important information about the application of some principles or didactic fundamentals that teacher applies during the Teaching Learning Process in the English class with students of second year of general high school, Complejo Educativo Refugio Sifontes, located in Ciudad Delgado, San Salvador. In the same way, this process tries to integrate students to any career in any university and society with technological advances, in which English language becomes a need and a useful tool to get better opportunities not only in this country, but also around the world.

Another information that is mentioned in this research deals with Didactic Fundamentals which is the most important point in it. The didactic fundamentals play an important role in the education at any level, because according to the information found during this study, they are the ones that direct the teaching learning process and if they are applied in the correct way students can get a meaningful learning.

Then, this research is composed by three parts: First, the chapter one, which is the Conceptual Framework, it includes the objectives that the teamwork intends to achieve at the end of the research, the antecedents in which are mentioned information related to the topic researched; the justification in which the teamwork mentions the reasons why it is considered important to research about this topic; the statement of the problem that tries to give answers to the hypothesis of the research, and the achievement and limitations that mentions different authors who researched on this topic or similar topics.

Second it is presented the chapter two, the Theoretical Framework, that includes the Theoretical Fundamentation in which describes the concepts and theories 4

researched, and reveal the author’s point of view who research about this topic.

Also, it contains the Empirical Framework in which it is described the instruments applied during the study and the analysis of the relation between the facts obtained and the theories developed in the research, the Monograph is another part of this research in which it is described the municipality

where the school Complejo

Educativo Refugio Sifontes is located. In addition, the Theoretical and Methodological Research Formulation establishes the verification about the theory in the Theoretical fundamentation with the results found in the study. As a final point of this part, it is the Development and theoretical definition; it is presented important aspects and problems found in the learning process in this school.

Finally, the chapter three is the Operative Framework, it shows how the researchers perform this study by doing first of all the Didactic Fundamentals description which are the subjects of investigation, then it is mentioned the procedure for gathering data, as well as the resources and analysis techniques used during the research.

These three parts present the complete study about the Didactic Fundamentals used in the teaching practice of English language in the school where the research was made.

5

AUTORIDADES UNIVERSITARIAS

Rector Ing. Luis Mario Aparicio

Vicerrectora Académica Licda. Catalina Machuca de Merino

Vicerrectora Administrativa Licda. Fiana Ligia Corpeño

Decano de la Facultad de Educación Lic. Jorge Alberto Escobar

6

1. OBJECTIVES

1.1 General

To analyze the didactic fundamentals used by the teacher of English on students of eleventh grade of General High School of Complejo Educativo Refugio Sifontes.

1.2 Specific

To identify the didactic fundamentals and the practice application used by the teacher in the English Language Teaching.

To verify which are the most effective didactic resources used by the teacher in the English Teaching-Learning Process in the students of eleventh grade of General High School, Complejo Educativo Refugio Sifontes.

7

CHAPTER ONE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWOK

2. ANTECEDENTS OF THE PROBLEM

Education System in El Salvador The autonomy of the Ministry of Education began since December 1939. During the government of Maximiliano Hernández Martìnez, the first Official Educational Reform started in El Salvador1. In that time, new programs were introduced and there were divided in ten jornalizations per year with their own objective each one.

Also, the teacher had an intensive process of training.

In 1968 the Teacher’s education in Escuelas Normales got stronger.

The

President, General Fidel Sánchez Hernández and the Minister of Education, Walter Béneke, established the concept of “Educaciòn Básica” divided into three cycles. It involved a boost in education in the rural area. One of the most important achievements of this reform was the creation of “Televisión Cultural Educativa”.

The program “Educación con Participación de la Comunidad” (EDUCO) was born2 in 1990. It was a support to the educative service, and it promoted the education system for adults and through the program Educación a Distancia. This program helped teachers to have more training, an aid of educative materials, and the introduction of technology as a tool for the process of teaching. At the same time, the supervision and evaluation of the education process was born.

1

Ministerio de Educación, Gobierno de El Salvador, available on line, www.mined.gob.sv/index.php/institucion/marco/historia.html, October 25th, 2010 2 Ministerio de Educación, Gobierno de El Salvador, available on line, www.mined.gob.sv/index.php/institucion/marco/historia.html, October 25th, 2010

8

Another reform was during the period of the president Dr. Armando Calderón Sol, the plan was called Plan Decenal with the main purpose to organize its four areas: Coverage, Quality, Value Formation, and Institutional Modernization. After this reform, the Plan 2021 worked from 2004 to 2009, this reform consisted in creating different programs according with the needs of the different areas in the country, and in that way Education can be free for everybody. The programs of this reform are: 1. Compite. Program of English Language competences.

2. Comprendo: Reading competencies and Mathematics for first cycle of education.

3. Conèctate: Opportunity for the entrance of technology.

4. Edifica: Improve the infrastructure.

5. Educame: Entrance in the secondary education to the population.

6. Juega leyendo: Supported process for initial and preprimary education.

7. Megatec: Technical education and technology in areas of development.

8. Poder: Integral promotion of salvadorean youth.

9. Redes Escolares Efectivas: educational support to the 100 poorest cities in E.S. 10. Todos iguales: Program about attention of diversity. 3

The Government of El Salvador through the Ministry of Education is trying to implement new ideas to constantly improve the country's education system, unfortunately these projects and plans have not been able to develop because

3

Ministerio de Educación, Gobierno de El Salvador, available on line, www.mined.gob.sv/index.php/institucion/marco/historia.html, October 25th, 2010.

9

each change of government creates new programs and most disappear instead of following up on existing ones.

The subject of English is not an exception to these changes through the years has remained constant changes in the needs of this language in today's society, as shown in the following important data space English language programs and plans implemented in El Salvador.

English Language in El Salvador

The history of the English language in El Salvador began in 1961, when the president General Fidel Sánchez Hernández had a meeting with Japanese people in order to establish the English Language in the National Curriculum. They began to organize a T.V. program dealing with the English Language Teaching, and it was authorized in the year 1964. The main objective was to promote social development and economical progress. These reforms were promoted by Lic. Walter Beneke, who was the Minister of Education in that time.

Since 1969, the Minister of Education worried about having printed material to teach English, began to print didactic guides written by English Teachers, and in 1971 a number of 37,873 students were attending English classes.

4

In 1972, the MINED received 337, 492,700 colones to introduce and support TV programs in order to teach English; unfortunately, the project did not work out because teachers and students were not well trained to understand that kind of programs. There were two text books used in a 90% by public and private schools, they were “Let’s Study English” by the teacher Ricardo Méndez and “Welcome to 4

Pineda Ramírez, Gloria Delmy, Anzora Somoza, Jenny Margarita, “Effectiveness of the most common methodologies used in the teaching learning process of the English Language in the junior High School at Centro Escolar Gustavo Marroquín during the year 2006”

10

the English Language” by the teacher Reynaldo Aquino; through the time they were considered with a lack of information about contents of English Language.

Furthermore, most of the teachers were not English teachers, but they had to cover this area because there were not enough teachers in this area.

In 1991, twenty five teachers were selected by the Minister of Education, Licda.

Cecilia Gallardo de Cano, to attend a training in the United States with the purpose of organizing a training for the rest of English Teachers in the country. Later in 1995, a pilot plan was made in 300 schools with a new program for Preschool and Junior High School supported by Universidad José Simeón Cañas and FEPADE. “Since 1995, there were not any changes until 2004, when the president Elias Antonio Saca and the Minister of Education Darlin Xiomara Meza, presented the COMPITE PROGRAM, focused in the educational Plan 2021 developed during the period 2004-2009, the purpose of this program was to develop the four basic communicative skills of the English language on students of Junior High School and High School.”5 The main objective in the updated English Syllabus in this country is the Constructivism, and it has been designed with the purpose to promote the development of four language competences: oral comprehension, oral production, reading comprehension and writing production based on the communicative approach. That means that every element in the practice of English Language Teaching is so important for the students´ educational preparation.

Compite Program Compite program was focused on promoting the English Learning and was born at the end of the year 2004. The Ministry of Education tried that Salvadoran people 5

Pineda Ramírez, Gloria Delmy, Anzora Somoza, Jenny Margarita, “Effectiveness of the most common methodologies used in the teaching learning process of the English Language in the junior High School at Centro Escolar Gustavo Marroquín during the year 2006”

11

had the opportunity to manage a second language through the development of the four basic skills. Also, this learning would help them to communicate with different kind of people around the world. In order to get this purpose, the program involved two important aims: to improve linguistic skills on teachers of Secondary and High School and to update the techniques and methods applied in the classes.

First of all, the program was executed in La Union, Santa Tecla and San Marcos and later in Metapán. After some time the program was promoted in many public schools around the El Salvador.

This chart shows the amount of students who were included in the Compite program from 2004 to 2008.

Level\ year

2004

2005

2006

2427

2724

1257

High School Technologic

Sésame English Secondary School

Amount

1204

1204

2007

2008

1146

1105

227

2291

2096

1451

3041

1429

3150

4426

0

7404

9116

6982

3268

According with the Ministry of Education the cost of this program per year was: 2005: $ 950,315.00 2006: $ 259, 270, 00 2007: $ 2,829,200.96 2008: $ 6,150,137.006

6

Memoria de Labores 2007-2008, Ministerio de Educación Gobierno de El Salvador

12

The Compite program stopped working in the year 2009 by starting a new educational plan called Plan Social Educativo “Vamos a la escuela” 2009-2014, in which information is not currently displayed to promote the English language.

DIDACTIC FUNDAMENTALS Didactic comes from the Greek word “didactike” that means “teaching”, and it cares about all the elements used in teaching. It is the set of systems that tries to give an answer to the question How to teach?. Therefore, it can be defined as didactic fundamentals all the elements and principles that guide the art of teaching.

The following historical sequence stands the didactic expressions according to the time and the educator.7 Time

Educator

Description

1571-1635

N.Ratke

Argues that, with the didactic languages can be taught effectively. It was the precursor of a multilingual

education

based

on

experimentation and inductive thinking.

1592-1671

Johan Comenius

1712-1778

Juan Rousseau

Amos In Didàctica Magna establishes fundamentals for a theory of teaching or the art of teaching.

Jocobo Stresses the importance of education and spontaneous development and individualism of the student. Questioned the errors of society and the defects of the school and its teaching.

7

Murley Esther Mancia, y otros, 2003, “Didáctica General I” El Salvador, UCA Editores.

13

1746-1827

J. H. Pestalozzi

In the work “How Gertrudis teaches her children”, stands that education is to make known what is right, true and good. Develops progressive

understanding.

This

was

a

proposal for active teaching contrary to the rote.

1776-1841

J. F. Herbart

The instruction is the most important means of education and serves to awake curiosity, he questioned the use of corporal punishment, and his idea was that education should get students' interest.

1920 until the Ferriere,

Developed the science of education

end

particularly of evolutionary psychology, biology

of

century

XX Claraparede,

DeCroly, Montessori, and sociology.

Piaget, Ausbel, Gagná, Freinet.

Vigotsky, Freire, Given the predominance of the experimental Pavlov, method the development of educational technology and the continued presence of alternative humanistic and qualitative approaches.

The Progressive education appeared in the first half of the twentieth century when the student was the main focus of attention, leaving the curriculum and the teacher in second term, this was a radical change because the school was a place based on memory learning, during the time before teachers punished students who did not repeat the lesson. The student was not as important as information.

All that changed when Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) in his work “Emilio", published in 1762 criticized the Jesuit schools for their lack of classical learning and thinking stimulation. Pestalozzi and Froevel, educators from the twentieth 14

century were the first to conceive a kindergarten where children could develop their talents and intelligence through games. Then, Francis W. Parker (1837 - 1902) studied the Rousseau’s ideas and promoted a model that left the memorization of information, and replaced it with a meaningful learning and an active understanding of the concepts. In 1907, the Italian educator Maria Montessori created a method of education for preschool children that has been adapted worldwide.

In 1936 Jean Piaget published "The birth of the child's intelligence.” Jean Piaget was one of the most important psychologists to develop a didactic based on constructivist theoretical framework. This important psychologist revolutionized the ideas about the child and changing teaching methods by constructivism, which involves engaging the child in their own learning.

Among the authors who worried for the teaching process in the seventeenth century, it is good to mention to Juan Amos Comenius who is considered the Father of the Didactics. That is because he was who promoted the education as a systematized science and some fundamentals to view the school as a modern institution.

Through his work, Didactics Magna, Comenius began the tradition of didactic addressing the needs of his time. Comenius articulates his ideal of an inductive methodology through a fundamental: see in man “The keeper of potential knowledge that allows him to access to knowledge”. 8 Other fundamentals of the didactic in the vision of Comenius were that the teacher must:

8

-

Have the unique job as being teacher.

-

Teach the class with many students using a methodology for it.

th

Graciela Paula Caldeiro, http://educacion.idoneos.com/index.php/118466, available on line, November 6 , 2010.

15

-

Motivate students

-

Explain the knowledge in a nice way

-

Go from general to specific

-

Show the contents in a gradual way: from easier to more difficult

-

Teach good manners 9

Another is Julio Larrea who stands in his book “Didàctica General” four fundamentals of Didactics.

The first fundamental is that the teacher has to know himself and understand how each stage of his thinking and his life has an influence on his teaching and therefore on merit and execution of the lesson.

The second fundamental is to understand the growth and development of children, to recognize them as an individual different from others.

The third fundamental is the understanding of society as a constant element of change and growth.

The fourth fundamental is to use the teachers´ and students´ knowledge to bring the students into an awakening of their autonomy and individuality10 According to Comenius and Larrea, it can be said that teaching is to promote intentional and systematic student’s learning, and that the learning becomes meaningful when teachers became conscious of every students´ needs.

The didactic fundamentals are the systematization of the teaching-learning process in which the teacher, students and their environment are involved. The teacher is 9

Enciclopedia de Pedagogía Práctica Escuela para Maestros 2004. 1ª Edición. Cadiex Internacional s.a.

10

Larrea, Julio; Didáctica General, 1a edición, Editorial Herrero y CÍA, S.A. , México DF, 1957. p 384

16

the one who has to advise, guide and encourage students to acquire new knowledge and skills. The student is encouraged to receive this new knowledge, build skills and attitudes. The environment facilitates the teaching-learning process.

All this system will result in the comprehensive training of student and the teacher’s job satisfaction.

Maria Guadalupe Moreno Bayardo in the book "Didàctica, fundamentación y práctica" states that:

To promote the person in the acquisition of knowledge,

habits, attitudes, skills and abilities will result in his real integral education. For her learning is not a process of receiving, but of transforming conduct. That means learning is a process to promote an internal change within the individual through teacher encouragement.

The teacher’s work regarding to the didactic fundamentals in the preparation to the students based on the pedagogy as a science that proposes objectives and methods, as well as giving solution to the different problems that can happen in the learning process. It studies the activity that develops the student and the teacher, establishing the norms of the educational process.

These important data provide the idea of the attempts of many educators, and the Salvadoran government to improve English language teaching through the establishment of standards or didactic fundamentals with the purpose that students receive in the best way the new knowledge and in this case, English language learning.

17

3. JUSTIFICATION

In the last years in El Salvador, it has been observed great efforts in the educative system in order to include the students in different areas in the society, through the educational programs, improvement of environment conditions, and constant teacher’s training, in that way the students do not standstill in

the social and

economic development of the Salvadoran society.

In somehow, the English language will play a significant role in the students' future lives as professionals involved in the globalization of education and work. It is known that the English language is acquiring a strong importance in El Salvador and around the world. That is why it is very essential to pay attention to the didactic fundamentals used by teachers of English in the teaching process.

Teachers must be very careful about what they are teaching be something meaningful for students, and in this way, this project tries to identify the didactic fundamentals used in students of second year of General High School at Complejo Educativo Refugio Sifontes in Ciudad Delgado, San Salvador.

This work will try to describe the teacher’s didactic fundamentals in the classroom.

As well as, the positive and negative attitudes showed by students with the methodology applied by the teacher. And how the teacher of English makes his students learn the language more effectively in terms of the techniques and some of the most common methods to teach English, such as: Communicative approach, the Grammar Translation Method, Suggestopedia, Total Physical Response and others, in order to develop the four basic skills according to the necessities of each student.

These and other elements of importance to the teaching will be shown along this work, since all these elements are didactic fundamentals which must be applied properly to improve the teaching – Learning Process.

18

So, it is necessary to know and apply the whole didactic fundamentals and basic concepts learned by teachers, since the beginning and along their academic careers.

19

4. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Are the didactic fundamentals being applied in the English classes in the students of eleventh grade at Complejo Educativo Refugio Sifontes?

Contemporary Curriculum suggests the need to teach English because of the globalization. The acquisition of this second language requires teachers to have a conscious change in the way of teaching, also the way students learn and the techniques the teachers need to apply it.

In English Language there are many theories on how to use or apply a methodology and also there are principles based on it, which are part of the didactic fundamentals that the teacher has to apply in his/her classes. All with the purpose to facilitate the teacher’s job in the classrooms.

It can be observed in many classrooms at different levels that the English teacher does not manage the methodologies; even they know something about them.

Another important point is the lack of resources to teach the English Language to facilitate the Teaching Learning Process, and it determines that students get or not the results they want.

To create an effective communicative act needs the active presence of the teacher, certain dynamics and motivational activities with the objective to turn the classes more comfortable and get good results in teaching learning process. That is why it is fundamental to pay attention to the professional quality of the teachers, because it will allow the support of any program and create the fundaments of its own growing, and the most important to have the expected results for a better society.

Relationships and motivation are two factors that facilitate the acquisition of the language. Also, it is necessary that different elements interact in classes (students, teacher, materials, techniques, methods, methodologies, activities, dynamics, and 20

other resources). In that way it can be observed the improvements in students during the Teaching Learning Process of the English Language at any level.

According to the information found during the research of the history about education in El Salvador, the Ministry of Education has been trying to implement many programs and reforms with the intention of offering a better education.

Unfortunately, the efforts made by the Ministry of Education are not enough due to the constantly society’s changes, and it is difficult to adopt all these changes. The Compite Program has been designed to improve the English language teaching in the Salvadoran education system, because the Ministry of Education knows the importance of knowing, understanding, and speaking English, and also it gives benefits to the people who manage this language.

21

5. ACHIEVEMENTS AND LIMITATIONS

A set of fundamentals of the didactics is given by María Guadalupe Moreno Bayardo in her book “Didáctica, fundamentación y práctica” 2002. In it she describes the elements that include the art of teaching and the way the teacher has to work in order to obtain good results with the students. Also, she states that the teacher has to promote meaningful experiences in order to obtain a change in the student; this change can be on an acquisition of knowledge, an attitude, habit, skill, ability, etc. So, Learning English has to be dynamic, and it is significant that the students interact with all these elements of the didactic such as objectives, motivation, methods, procedures and didactic resources that integrate the situation of the learning process. Then, she states in her book that first of all, it is necessary, to value these didactic fundamentals before starting with the teaching process among the purpose to get the objectives.

On the other hand, Carlos Alvarez de Zayas in his work “La escuela de la Vida” developed as didactic fundamentals seven components, they are: the problem, objective, content, method, form (order), resources, and evaluation. He establishes that if the teacher wants the student to become a professional, he has to take into account the importance of the dialectical relationship that exists between the derivation and integration, which is present in all components of the process. The relationship established among these components determines the structure and the behavior of the teaching learning process.

In “Enciclopedia de Pedagogía Práctica: Escuela para Maestros” John Amos Comenius who is considered the “Father of Didactics” because he was the first who systematized Didactics as a science, which consists on a sequence in the teaching process based on teaching principles designed by him. One limitation found in the research is the fact that despite these fundamental principles, in which the teacher must be supported to improve the teaching process, he did not

22

consider distinction among the students. Also, he suggested applying a specific methodology per classes.

While, Julio Larrea stands in his book "Didรกctica General" four didactic fundamentals which he considered are the only way to improve the quality of education focusing on teacher development in the teaching process as they were mention before. In that way, it can be considered that in the pedagogic activity it is necessary to take into account didactic fundamentals with the objective that students have a significant

learning. These didactic fundamentals cover all the

elements that other authors explain in detail as fundamentals of the didactic.

23

6. CONCEPTS AND CATEGORIES

Fundamentals are essential elements which contribute to make a good didactic process in a way to get a Meaningful learning that is the learning given according with the students needs in order to use the major information in their lives, through methods, techniques, methodologies and resources which are the elements of Didactics that is a set of techniques to teach through principles and procedures for all disciplines in order to learning process it comes easily and efficient Methods which are the orderly steps to accomplish an end together with Techniques which are procedures used to accomplish a specific activity or task, besides Methodology that is a body of practices, procedures, and rules used by the teacher in the classroom through a Procedure that are the actions that have to be done in order and in a correct way.

During the process teachers use the

Evaluation that is a set of standards to determine the learning that the students have acquired during the development of the Content that is the topic and the specific knowledge students have to acquire, also the teacher needs to support the content with tools called Didactic resources are the materials or elements used by the teacher during the class trying to get an Objective that is what the teacher wants to achieve through Activities that are situations in which there is a lot of action or movements, also during the teaching process is necessary to do some Dynamics which help teacher to get the attention of his students and develop the acquired knowledge, also the teacher needs the Motivation that is the internal force that orientates and supports a behavior.

24

CHAPTER TWO THEORETICAL FRAMEWOK

7. THEORETICAL- METHODOLOGICAL FUNDAMENTATION Traditionally, teaching was a transmission process and learning was a reception process, these processes were between two elements: the teacher and the student; during this traditional process, the teacher was the center of teaching and the student a receptor and he/she had to obey everything that the teacher said. In this millennium, the dynamics of education requires a new vision of the teachinglearning process to promote in the students the acquisition of knowledge, habits, attitudes, values, skills and abilities which will cause his real Education.

For this reason, Julio Larrea in one of his fundamentals said that it is necessary "To understand the child’s growing and development, and to recognize a person as different from others."11This involves knowing the attitudes, feelings and purposes of each student so that it allows the teacher to develop an efficient teachinglearning process.

The role of the school is to facilitate to students the learning process in a systematic way, in order to give them the opportunity to live the most meaningful experiences that make favorable changes in their behavior, and which is more important; teach them to live the experiences not only in the school but also outside of it. The task of the teacher is to stimulate important experiences, to advice, to guide and to encourage the students in order to achieve an appropriate response to these experiences, taking into account all the components of the society that turn the students into productive elements for the society’s

11

Larrea, Julio; Didáctica General, 1a edición, Editorial Herrero y CÍA, S.A. , México DF, 1957. p 383

25

transformation. That is why Julio Larrea stands as a fundamental that “the teacher must understand the society as a constant element of changing and growing”

12

In that way, it can be said that teaching is the process that promotes an intentional and systematic process of student’s learning. But to encourage learning it is necessary that the teacher uses many tools that will help students to achieve this objective; these learning tools are also called fundamentals which will be detailed in this work.

Maria Guadalupe Moreno Bayardo argues that learning occurs when the students give the opportunity to produce changes through different experiences. Therefore, it is necessary that teachers advice, guide and encourage these experiences.

The author brings three principles of learning. a) The preparatory stage, which brings the reality, satisfaction, preparation and purpose.

Reality refers to the reality of the student, group and community in which they live; it will be more attractive to use natural sources of interest. Satisfaction is when learning is planned according to the learners´ needs and interests. Preparation indicates that learning needs to be placed in the first and the last learning context to facilitate the connection between them, in order to acquire a general sequence of the students learning. Purpose refers that the students should know very well the goals to achieve and even to participate in its development; they have to make a maximum effort to achieve them. b) The implementation stage, which includes the adaptation, climate, objectivity and active exercise.

12

Larrea, Julio; Didáctica General, 1a edición, Editorial Herrero y CÍA, S.A. , México DF, 1957. p 384

26

Adaptation is when learning is best adapted to the circumstances of each student.

Environment is necessary to create an atmosphere of warmth, trust, work and mutual cooperation so that the learning process works in an appropriate way.

Objectivity is when learning is focused on multi-sensory experiences to facilitate understanding. Active exercise is necessary to take the student to reinforce his/her learning with multiple and varied significant experiences. c) The verification stage exists during the whole process. This stage provides the opportunity to make sure what is doing is convenient for achieving the objectives from the beginning.

These principles are developed in a universal way into the teaching learning process, mainly with the concepts of motivation, objectives, methods, techniques, didactic resources, and evaluation, which are described below:

MOTIVATION Everyone has goals in the life, at the same time it is created the need to achieve them and this is a motivation to get these goals. In the same way, in the development of learning it is necessary to be conscious that each activity in human life is created by a reason, due to personal interests prompted by the circumstances in which human being lives. That is why Maria Guadalupe Moreno Bayardo stands in her book that "All behavior manifested by the person is based on an internal process that leads a decision in the way to behave"13. Also, she defines motivation as "The internal force that directs and maintains a behavior", it means that motivation provokes on students appropriate behavior expected by the teacher and the society, so the motivation is one of the didactic fundamentals, because it promotes the student’s conduct. Students hold or modify this conduct in the way that the results satisfy their needs. Also Julio Larrea says that motivation 13

Moreno Bayardo, María Guadalupe; Didáctica, fundamentación y práctica, Editorial El Progreso, México D.F., p. 32.

27

is the beginning and the ending in the process, and this allows the teacher and students improve the teaching and the learning. 14 What the authors agree is that the motivation has to satisfy the students’ needs in order to lead the learning goals.

The motivation for learning has been classified into two types: positive motivation and negative motivation. In positive motivation can be located all actions, encouragement, warmth, to convince without pressure that students change the objectives of learning in their own needs in order to make their best efforts to achieve and even induce them to be part of the objectives. Within the positive motivation there is the intrinsic motivation which is when the student feels the need to achieve the objectives because they like something in this case the language.

Also, there is the extrinsic motivation which is when the students try to learn the language because they realize about the language advantages they can get.

In the negative motivation can be identified actions that in one way or another student is forced to answer several learning activities and it generates an attitude of discouragement among students and it makes students not to assimilate the knowledge properly.

Therefore, it is necessary that the teacher motivates students in a positive way, because it is not only to raise students’ interest, but maintains the students’ behavior. For that reason it must be a constant process in each learning stage which means that the teacher has to create an initial and a final motivation.

Maria Guadalupe Moreno Bayardo states, a didactic fundamental, and says "Harnessing the students’ interests and needs to turn on reasons is an art that the teacher needs to cultivate"15. This indicates that the teacher`s work in the teachinglearning process is important in the way that the teacher uses and develops all the

14

Larrea, Julio; Didáctica General, 1a edición, Editorial Herrero y CÍA, S.A. , México DF, 1957. p 152 Moreno Bayardo, María Guadalupe; Didáctica, fundamentación y práctica, Editorial El Progreso, México D.F., p. 39 15

28

tools properly to achieve and have a better results in the learning of her/his students. Also, the teacher needs to be convinced that his/her work is important as a teacher; only in that way he/she can convince students about the importance to learn.

On the other hand, Julio Larrea mentions that the teacher's performance in the teaching-learning process is important in order to motivate students and get a meaningful learning. He mentions that the teacher should "Use his/her own knowledge, the student’s knowledge and the society to bring the student into an awakening to their autonomy and individuality" 16.

Maria Guadalupe Moreno Bayardo holds another fundamental in which she says that: "The teacher's own personality is showed by living with the students; it can become an important factor in the response they give to the situations presented by the teacher”17. This means that is fundamental that the teacher establishes a good relationship with students in order to have a good environment and a nice interaction that helps the development of the whole learning process. While Julio Larrea said in another of his fundamentals that “The teacher has to know himself/herself and understand how each stage of his/her thinking and his/her life has an influence in his/her teaching"18. To say that the teacher must know himself/herself means that he/she is able to recognize her/his deficiencies and to make improvement plans, otherwise the teacher will be a mediocre teacher. That is why the motivation of both, students and teacher, is important during the whole process, without forgetting the objectives to be achieved.

16

Larrea, Julio; Didáctica General, 1a edición, Editorial Herrero y CÍA, S.A. , México DF, 1957. p 383 Moreno Bayardo, María Guadalupe; Didáctica, fundamentación y práctica, Editorial El Progreso, México D.F., p. 41 17

18

Larrea, Julio; Didáctica General, 1a edición, Editorial Herrero y CÍA, S.A. , México DF, 1957. p 383

29

OBJECTIVES OF LEARNING

It has been said that learning is a process that occurs in a person when he/she lives meaningful experiences that bring results in a change of behavior, but it should be in response to a purpose, that is why it is necessary to know what behavior changes are intended to achieve. These purposes can be called objectives because they give meaning to any human activity.

Maria Guadalupe Moreno Bayardo defines the objective as: "A clear and precise expression of what the teachers intend to achieve in any area, it is the" what for" that everybody needs as an important part to motivate to do something"19, this means that learning must be emphasized through a series of procedures and these should be according to the students’ needs, the program and the system of education.

According to Julio Larrea, the objective provides a base for evaluating the performance, during the process. He also argues that the teacher may provide a meaningful learning to students. And also, they are the most important part in the teaching learning process because they direct the process in order to obtain what is proposed.

METHODS In the teaching learning process when the objectives to achieve are clear, there is a similar picture of how they should lead to direct an action towards achieving the objectives. So it is fundamental to use a method because through this, the learning is addressed to the rediscovery of the truth.

19

Moreno Bayardo, María Guadalupe; Didáctica, fundamentación y práctica, Editorial El Progreso, México D.F., p. 47

30

Maria Guadalupe Moreno Bayardo mentions that the author Tomas Villareal defines objectives as “An organized set of rules, procedures and resources to address learning with maximum efficiency and minimum effort, taking into account the characteristics (skills, interests, aptitudes, motivation) of the learner and the knowledge of the environment, to achieve educational purposes"20 .

So the

teacher has to face the problem of conveniently choosing of methods, techniques, procedures and resources in order to achieve the objectives in the shortest time and with the less effort.

Maria Guadalupe Moreno Bayardo says the method is a general approach of the action, according to one criterion and it shows the way, but it is not detailed. On the other hand, Julio Larrea defines it as a plan that addresses the acquisition of knowledge.

These three points of view mean that with the application of a method the teacher has the way how to lead the learning and how to achieve the proposed objectives, but in the process there are not still details on how to develop the learning.

Here are the most popular methods in which are promoted the English Language teaching. 21

Naturalistic Method This method is used with the purpose that the students express themselves in spontaneous way.

20

Moreno Bayardo, María Guadalupe; Didáctica, fundamentación y práctica, Editorial El Progreso, México D.F., p. 89 21 nd English Raven Educational Services, available on line, http://www.englishraven.com, June 22 , 2011

31

The teacher has to make the language easy, and create a nice and relaxed climate that allows students express in the moment they wish. It is necessary to entertain the class with elements like gestures, smiles and comments that make learners feel comfortable.

In addition, it is necessary to do feedback to support the recent knowledge and allow the constant use of the new vocabulary.

Communicative Approach Method This method proposes the oral practice and the work in group, so that the students manipulate language and develop communicative skills to acquire the new language. It is necessary that the production be spontaneous and in that way the students have an interlingual development without a big effort.

The Grammar Translation Method The grammar translation method tries to instruct students in grammar skills, and provides a better vocabulary by means of translation exercises. Most of the teachers think that this method is not effective by itself.

Teaching grammar consists in a process of teaching the rules of the English language which makes possible that students express their opinions in a correct way to understand and to analyze the texts they read.

The objective is that by the time they leave schools, the students control the tools of the language which are vocabulary, grammar and spelling, in order to be able to read, write and understand different texts. This knowledge is acquired gradually, because the facts of language start from the simplest and goes to the most complex. Exercises according to the program must be practiced to allow the assimilation of the rules studied in class. That supposes that the teacher corrects 32

the exercises. The students can follow their own progress in practicing the language by comparing their results. The grammatical analysis of sentences constitutes the objective of teaching the grammar translation method.

The Direct Method In the direct method, the main idea is that second language learning must be an imitation of first language learning, as the natural way humans learn any language.

Since the beginning, this method emphasizes the correct pronunciation of the new language.

According to this method, the students must be kept away from the printed language to the second language for as long as possible, as well as a child does not use written words until he/she speaks well the first language.

Learning of writing and spelling should be delayed until after the printed word has been introduced, and grammar and translation should also be avoided because this would involve the use of the first language.

The Audio-Lingual Method The audio-lingual method presents the learning of the skills in this order: listening, speaking, reading and writing. It gives priority to the development of listening and speaking skills first and reading and writing skills development are introduced later.

Students practice with a variety of exercises, and the instructor emphasizes the use of the target language at all times.

33

The Silent Way The most important characteristic of this method is that the teacher stays "silent" most of the time, as part of his/her role as facilitator and stimulator, that is why the method is named like this.

The Silent Way is also well-known for its common use of small colored rods of many sizes and color-coded word charts representing pronunciation values, vocabulary and grammatical paradigms.

Suggestopedia Georgi Lozanov began to develop a language learning method that focused on "desuggestion" of the limitations learners think they have, and providing a kind of relaxed state of mind that would facilitate the retention of material to its maximum potential.

One of the most unique characteristics of the method was the use of soft music during the learning process. Lozanov believed that soft music created a level of relaxed concentration that facilitated the retention of the learning. Another aspect that differed from other methods was the use of soft comfortable chairs and dim lighting in the classroom (other factors believed to create a more relaxed state of mind).

Total Physical Response The memory is stimulated and increased when it is closely associated with motor activity. The method involves some basic principles of language acquisition such as amount of listening and comprehension in combination with various physical responses (smiling, reaching, grabbing, looking, etc). It also focused on the ideas that learning should be as funny and stress-free as possible, and that it should be dynamic through the use of accompanying physical activity.

34

The TPR is a highly effective method at beginning levels, and almost a standard requirement in the instruction of students. It is also admired as a method due to its simplicity.

The teacher should not forget that the best method will be the one that responds to the specific students’ needs, the one that contributes to achieve the objectives proposed according with the learning process.22 But the teacher not only needs methods, but also other tools that help to develop the method entirety.

Among these tools it is necessary to mention the techniques that respond to the necessity to get details on how to direct the learning process indicated by the method through steady steps. The technique chosen and applied in appropriate circumstances and when it is necessary, founds and directs the achievement of each step; that is mainly related to the way of presenting the language. Maria Guadalupe Moreno Bayardo states that "A teaching method needs a range of techniques to be effective"23.

According to her, these are the most common techniques used in teaching English language:24

TECHNIQUES FOR WRITING Guided writing with model and visual stimulus.

This technique helps students to describe a person, guided by a model provided by the teacher.

22

Moreno Bayardo, María Guadalupe; Didáctica, fundamentación y práctica, Editorial El Progreso, México D.F., p. 92 23

Moreno Bayardo, María Guadalupe; Didáctica, fundamentación y práctica, Editorial El Progreso, México D.F., p. 87 24

P. Bello, J. M. Ferrán, Didáctica de las segundas lenguas, Editorial Santillana, Madrid, 1998, 34

35

Guided writing with model taken from a text book It consists of using magazines or newspapers as sources of information to encourage students, in this technique the teacher can evaluate the student`s creativity of describing a situation.

Guided writing guided from texts, images and announcements This technique helps to identify the advertising language and learn to write announcements using the language adapted for each situation. The teacher selects magazines announcements that contain different types of advertising language and in that way the students could elaborate their own announcements using drawings or photos.

Free writing from true stories The intention of this technique is to learn how to narrate, describe, and express opinions and states of mind.

TECHNIQUES FOR THE ORAL COMPREHENSION

Exhibition to authentic texts It is based in the interpretation of texts even though students do not understand the meaning completely; therefore, it is necessary that students listen at the beginning of the process a not simplified language.

36

Dialogs, interviews It is emphasized in the oral production across conversations in pairs or trios.

Listen to obtain information For this technique it is necessary the use of tables to register information during the listening of any information, in this way the students learn to eliminate unnecessary information.

Reconstruction of a text For the realization of this technique it is important to choose a text, which the students must listen, and after that they have to choose any part in order to work in groups and try to write as much as they could memorize.

Confirmation or contradiction The teacher must provide the students with a type of written or visual material in order to observe carefully. Then, the teacher lets them listen to the conversation in which they have to confirm or contradict some details of the material.

Interpretation of situations In this technique there are short dialogs that contain elements of mystery so that the students analyze the context in which the dialog takes place.

37

TECHNIQUES FOR THE READING COMPREHENSION

Loud reading done by the teacher Phonetics is not so important in this process but the intonation does, because it helps to understand the reading, it is important that the teacher makes this reading loudly so that students familiarize themselves with the pronunciation and obtain the main idea or the main ideas of the reading.

Reading done by the students The reading done by the students presents different variables such as: reading in class and loudly, reading in class and silent, reading at home.

The advertising In this technique the teacher shows a drawing or picture in which students have to justify the illustration according to the teacher’s questions.

Literary texts The teacher presents different titles of works and requests the students to justify the title that the author has given to the text and the teacher asks students to suggest other possible subtitles and fragments.

These are the most common techniques, but although there are another important tools in the Teaching-Learning process such as the didactic resources.

38

DIDACTIC RESOURCES The learning process requires adequate knowledge assimilation that is why didactic resources are based and valued as aids in the teaching-learning process.

Maria Guadalupe Moreno Bayardo defines didactic resources as "All those elements combined with the intention that the teaching-learning process be conducted in the best manner"25.

Didactic resources are those materials that are used to provide students with appropriate sensory experiences in a natural and safe introduction of knowledge, in order to leave alive impressions to strengthen further the establishment of knowledge.

Within this type of material we have three classifications:

a) Audible Material such as tape recorders.

b) Visual material such as transparencies, photographs, charts, maps, posters, flip charts, bulletin boards, objects, books, magazines, newspapers, printed material.

c) Audiovisual material such as television, movies with sound and movement, puppets and tours.

So didactic resources can be defined as all physical tools that the teacher uses in order to support and complement the educational process.

25

Moreno Bayardo, María Guadalupe; Didáctica, fundamentación y práctica, Editorial El Progreso, México D.F., p. 111

39

EVALUATION Evaluation plays the most important role in the English teaching process, because in that way the teacher can measure how the objectives have been achieved and if the students have assimilated the learning during the process.

Also, by means of evaluation; the teacher judges the effectiveness of the learning experiences. When the performance of most of the students is not satisfactory on a particular concept or topic, the learning experiences should be planned again on the basis of available evidence. It is after a careful analysis of the results of reevaluation that the teacher can judge if the objectives were achieved. Thus, evaluation helps to validate the whole teaching-learning process and is directed towards its improvement through regular feedback. 26

Here are some of the most common methods of evaluation that can be applied in English language: Interview Dialogues Questionnaire Observation Discussion Survey Analysis of records and data

26

Dadvison, Role of evaluation in the teaching learning process, available on line, th http://onlineeducationblog.net/role-of-evaluation-in-the-teaching-learning-process/, June 27 , 2011

40

Education concerns with developing and modifying patterns of behavior in human beings, in areas like thinking, feeling and acting, that is why evaluation is very important because it helps to measure if the objectives were achieved or not.

In addition, Julio Larrea and Maria Guadalupe Moreno Bayardo agree that learning helps to determine the student’s character, the gradual development of student’s independence and the ability to accurately solve various problems, both at school and life. So the teacher has to be conscious that his/her job influences his/her students’ lives.

Another point of view in which both agree is that the role of the teacher at school is to encourage, suggest, evaluate, assist students to address problems and find ways to solve them. For that reason, it can be said that the teacher transmits knowledge but also helps students to learn how to live their lives.

As a final point of view about the authors Julio Larrea and Maria Guadalupe Moreno Bayardo maintain that the teaching must be founded on the students’ interests and needs, because everything done in the teaching learning process is based on it.

41

8. EMPIRICAL FRAMEWORK 8.1 MONOGRAPH HISTORY OF CIUDAD DELGADO

The first Municipal Government of La Villa was established on January 1, 1936 in Aculhuaca. Thirty-three years later, on September 17, 1968 The Legislature Assembly gave it the title of "City ", a title which brought the progress of all levels: education, trade and health. In the downtown of the city, it is found a lot of formal and informal business, banks, super markets, offices, and more. Ciudad Delgado is developing farms of vegetables and fruits, as well as the maquila’s industry and pyrotechnics, which has become a heritage of the municipality. One of the cantons, specifically the canton San Jose Cortez is characterized by many places where are made woodworks, mainly in the development of home furnishings, which are distributed around San Salvador. In the Barrio Paleca, people work in pottery, and make clay pots and vases.

Political Division: Ciudad Delgado is a town with 120, 200 inhabitants, an area of 33.42 km2, divided into 8 counties, its capital "Ciudad Delgado”, formed at the beginning by 3 historical villages: Aculhuaca, known as " Land of strong people ", Asunción Paleca, known as "Land of colors", San Sebastian Texincal, known as "place of little stones" and later Barrio Las Victorias which was subsequently incorporated dividing it into 4 villages. The set of these historic towns gave rise to what was called "Villa Delgado” in the year 1935 in honor to Dr. José Matías Delgado, one of the heroes of the Independence.

Geography: The Municipality of Ciudad Delgado is located at 3.5km. North of the city of San Salvador and it is part of the administrative and geographical area known as the 42

metropolitan area of San Salvador. The altitude is 620m. above the sea level.

It is limited to the North by the municipalities of Tonacatepeque and Apopa, to the North-East and East by the municipality of Tonacatepeque, to the South East by the Municipality of Soyapango, to the South by the municipality of San Salvador and Soyapango, at the South West with the Municipalities of Cuscatancingo and San Salvador, to the west by the Municipality of Mejicanos and to the North West with the municipalities of Cuscatancingo and Apopa .

43

Climate: Ciudad Delgado has a warm climate about 18 ° to 35 ° Celsius, with the warmest time between March and May; the most pleasant time is between November and February. The rainy season begins in May-June and ends between October and November. The amount of annual rainfall is between 1700 and 1950 mm.

Roads: The Municipality geographically consists of 60% rural areas and 40% urban areas that mean that the majority of roads are of soil. The streets in the urban area are built of cobblestone, concrete and asphalt in a less degree.

Health Services The public health system is the responsibility of the Central Government through the Ministerio de Salud Pública y Asistencia Social, which only has three health care centers with 15 doctors who attends a population of 40,000 patients each one per year, it is evident that they do not attend the demand of population from Ciudad Delgado. Besides that, they do not have the special services in different areas into these centers.

Health care centers of Ministerio de Salud Pública: 1. Unidad de Salud de Calle Morazán (Ciudad Delgado) 2. Clínica Hábitat Confía (Cantón Milingo Km 7, Carretera Troncal del Norte) 3. Clínica Comunal del Instituto Salvadoreño del Seguro Social (Ciudad Delgado) Into the Municipality there are working basic assistance centers, public and parochial clinics which are detailed below: 1. Clínica Monseñor Oscar Arnulfo Romero (Parroquial Cantón Calle Real) 2. Clínica Cantón San Laureano 3. Clínica Cantón La Cabaña 44

4. Clínica Municipal, Alcaldía Municipal 5. Clínica Parroquial de Paleca

The logo of the municipality Delgado's logo was created in 1999 under a competition that promoted the local government for this purpose. A young painter, Carlos Ernesto Aguilar won this event. In the logo it can be observed significant pictures of the life and history of the municipality: The craft of pottery production and agriculture of Paleca, the cultural tradition of the “Festival of the Moor” of the location of San Sebastian, the picture of the first mayor and first School Juana Lopez, Aculhuaca church where they worship Apostle Santiago. The Troncal del Norte Highway and the railway, two structures that impacted the municipal geographic pattern, and finally the image of the most important sporting tradition in recent decades: the Santiago Marathon.

Troncal del Norte Church Aculhuaca Procer Pbro. José Matías Delgado

Handicraft and agricultural production of Paleca

Cultural tradition of San Sebastian neighborhood “Fiesta de los Moors”

Santiago Marathon

First mayor and First school

The railway line

45

Hydrography The rivers in Ciudad Delgado are Acelhuate,

Las Cañas, Urbina, Chagüite,

Mariona, Tomayate, El Cacao, Arenales; the streams are El Obraje, El Callejón, El Arenal and El Arenal seco.

The most important rivers are: The Acelhuate River starts in San Salvador and the municipality of Delgado crosses from south to north, with a distance of 12 km, a part of the river forms the border with the municipality of Soyapango.

Las Cañas River is 2 km long, this river forms the border with the municipality of Tonacatepeque, and its route is located in the east of the municipality.

The Urbina River starts in San Salvador and makes its income from south to north along the southeast direction of the municipality of Delgado, part of its course forms the border with the municipality of Cuscatancingo.

The Education System The education system is public and private. The public is the responsibility of central government through the Ministry of Education. In the municipality there are 23 public schools and 25 private schools The projections of the population’s distribution, it is according to the educational level in the Municipality.

LEVEL

OF

%

EDUCATION

None

24%

1° to 6°

20%

7° to 9°

20%

Bachelor

20%

46

Technical

3%

University

14%

Total

100%

TRADITIONS AND HOLIDAYS In the municipality of Ciudad Delgado there are traditions that are very important for the people of this city, one of them are the Patronal, municipal, community and own parties of the city. Festivals celebrated with all fervor in honor of their patrons of the saints of the Roman Catholic Church. The main festivity of the municipality is the celebration in honor of the Apostle Santiago and it takes places in the last week of July of each year.

Some other festivities are: PLACE

DATE

CELEBRATION

Barrio San Sebastián

From January 1st to 20th San Sebastián Mártir

Barrio Paleca

From august 15th

Nuestra

Señora

de

La

Asunción Barrio Aculhuaca

July 25th

In honor to Santiago Apóstol

Cantón Calle Real

February

Nuestra Señora de Lourdes

Cantón San José Cortez

March 19th

San

José(Jesus

adoptive

father) Cantón San Laureano

July 04th

San Laureano

Cantón Arenal

June 24th

San Juan Bautista

In the celebration of the different festivities, exists one called the “historiantes”, among the representations are: 47

· El Taborlan de Persia. . El gran duque de medina. · Las tres coronas de Roma. · El Cuerpo de Siria. · El Renegado de Málaga. · Las dos coronas de Cristo. · La historia de Ganzu People enjoy watching the performances of the actors.

COMPLEJO EDUCATIVO REFUGIO SIFONTES. As mentioned before there are 23 public schools in Ciudad Delgado and this is one of them. Currently, Complejo Educativo Refugio Sifontes has its own infrastructure located on Avenida Paleca, # 52 in the municipality of Ciudad Delgado, San Salvador.

Complejo Educativo Refugio Sifontes is an educational institution that was founded in March 1932 with the name of Centro Escolar "Refugio Sifontes" in honor of a teacher that was awarded by the Ministry of Education of El Salvador.

At first, the school was small, because there were only six classrooms in which students were attended from first to sixth grade, but the MINED (Ministry of Education) with the help of one ONG (Organizacion No Gubernamental) called “International Plan” built twenty classrooms more.

The earthquakes that occurred on January 13th and February 13th, 2001 caused damage to the building; MINED provided three temporary classrooms to teach children of pre-school level. After some time, they were built in a formal way with 48

the help of “International Plan”, even walls, sanitary and electrical systems were repaired.

Nowadays, the Complejo Educativo Refugio Sifontes teaches its students in three shifts: morning, afternoon and evening. During the morning and afternoon the school teaches students from nursery to sixth grade, two sections per each grade, and junior high school with one section per grade. The high school is open from noon to six twenty in the afternoon with two sections per level. During the evening there are some classrooms open from first to sixth grade. Also, it has the Distance Education Program on weekends, and it is teaching five sections of first year and two sections of eleventh grade.

The school is divided into four parts, in the first part it is found the principal’s office, sub-principal’s office and junior high school section "A"; the second part is junior high school; the third part is primary, and finally in the fourth part, the school attends high school. There are 25 classrooms and the capacity of all the school is approximately 1720 students.

The school has overcome the natural phenomena that have occurred since the beginning, and it is an institution that teaches many children from different neighborhoods and urban communities.

49

MAP OF THE SCHOOL In order to have a better location of the school the researchers present the map where the school is located.

Complejo Educativo Refugio Sifontes

ABOUT THE TEACHER The English teacher of this school has been a teacher for seventeen years, but it is her first year teaching English here. She graduated from “Universidad Pedagogica de El Salvador�. She teaches the English subject at Complejo Educativo Refugio Sifontes to several grades including the Eleventh grades, sections A and B during the afternoon. .

50

During this time of observation, the researchers can say that she is a teacher who makes her lesson plans, and also she demonstrates self confidence while she is performing the class.

In addition, she manages the topics studied during the

class, and she clarifies students’ doubts helping them individually and in groups.

For the researchers, she tries to do her best job in the classroom, probably without the proper method, technique, and didactic resources, because it can be observed that she just applies the Grammar Translation Method without using a variety of techniques, but she tries to make her students understand the topic studied.

STUDIED POPULATION This is the studied population during this research; it is divided into two sections, section A with thirty four students and section B with thirty five students.

ELEVENTH GRADE, SECTION “A”, 2011 No.

Student´s name

1

Aquino Ramírez, Daniel Eduardo

2

Ávila Pérez, Walter Enmanuel

3

Cáceres, Leonel Alejandro

4

Castellón, Gerardo Antonio

5

Castro, Moisés Eliseo

6

Cruz Ocampo, Massiel Abigail

7

Díaz Maravilla, Luis Felipe

8

Erazo, William Manrique

9

Fuentes Merino, Iris Yaneth

10

García , Denys Enrique

51

11

Girón, José Benigno

12

Hernández Quezada, Mario Alexander

13

Hernández Rodríguez, Melvin Geovanny

14

Mancia, Noé Alberto

15

Mardinera Huezo, Herwin Antonio

16

Martínez Cornejo, Ever Adonay

17

Martínez Gutiérrez, Josué Giovanni

18

Miranda, Wilbert Antonio

19

Nájera Ascencio, Jairo Omar

20

Navarrete Martínez, Kevin Alexander

21

Ortiz Aquino, Cecilia Alejandra

22

Pérez Gámez, Marvin Alexander

23

Portillo, Nelson Alexander

24

Portillo, Marlon Alberto

25

Quijada, Francisco Xavier

26

Quintanilla, Carlos Fernando

27

Quintanilla, Carlos Ernesto

28

Renderos, Karen Marcela

29

Rodríguez, Daysi Lizzette

30

Sánchez, Kenia Yamileth

31

Saravia Rivera, Jennifer Guadalupe

32

Torres Mejía, Mario Ernesto

33

Urquilla, Brian Wilbur

34

Villanueva, David Ricardo

52

ELEVENTH GRADE, SECTION “B”, 2011

No.

Student´s name

1

Acosta Ulloa, Ana del Carmen

2

Aquino Rivera, Edgardo Humberto

3

Benavides, Mauricio Ernesto

4

Chávez López, Blanca Jennifer

5

Crespín, Emerson Farid

6

Crespín Canales, Leonides

7

Crespín Canales, Gerson

8

Cruz Romero, Luis Enrique

9

Dueñas, Verónica Morelia

10

Garay Morán, Juan Francisco

11

González, César Alfonso

12

González, Roberto Enrique

13

González, Jennifer Patricia

14

González Reyes, Saira Marina

15

Guardado Maravilla, Jeremías Alexander

16

Guzmán, Alfredo Armando

17

Huezo, Juan de Jesús 53

18

Martínez, Gadiel Jared

19

Marroquín Martínez, Enrique de Jesús

20

Mayén López, Hugo Ernesto

21

Mejía, Karla Melany

22

Melara, Joselin Esmeralda

23

Morán, Ronald Gamaliel

24

Morataya Dueñas, Kevin de Jesús

25

Nájera, Gerson Geovanny

26

Peña, Cristina Elizabeth

27

Peña Guzmán, Tania Valeria

28

Peñate, Bryan Otoniel

29

Pérez Gaitán, Salvador Edenilson

30

Ramírez Guzmán, Rossmary Saray

31

Rivas, David Antonio

32

Sánchez, Rafael Alejandro

33

Servellón, Martha Lidia

34

Valle Galeano, Jeymi Odalis

35

Vásquez, Salvador Omar

54

9. INSTRUMENTS USED DURING THE RESEARCH

During the period of observation into the school, researchers had the opportunity to use three different instruments that were used as good tools to get the information needed to strengthen this study, the ones are explained below.

First, it was necessary to apply an observation instrument that produced the idea to know which didactic fundamentals are most commonly used by the teacher during the development of classes, the students’ behavior, and the whole environment of the teaching learning process. Another tool was the instrument that allowed researchers to do an interview to the teacher which provided the teacher's point of view about the appropriate use of didactic fundamentals in the classroom, the knowledge of the teacher about the methods and techniques, and as a final point what she thinks about the development of the English classes. Finally, students were asked to fill out a survey in which they showed if the teacher applies the didactic fundamentals in English classes, and to know if the students were really motivated to carry out the teacher’s activities during the teaching learning process and how they indirectly described the didactic fundamentals used by the teacher in this process.

Through these instruments it can be identified the didactic fundamentals and the practice application used by the English teacher in this school. Also to verify which are the most effective didactic resources that help students to assimilate the knowledge of English language.

55

In the following chart are detailed the didactic fundamentals studied in this research in order to have a better comprehension of the instruments applied during the study.

DIDACTIC FUNDAMENTAL Fundamental 1

F1

Motivation

Fundamental 2

F2

Objectives of learning

Fundamental 3

F3

Methods

Fundamental 4

F4

Techniques

Fundamental 5

F5

Didactic resources

Fundamental 6

F6

Evaluation

56

FIRST INSTRUMENT: OBSERVATION CHECKLIST UNIVERSIDAD PEDAGOGICA DE ELSALVADOR FACULTY OF EDUCATION Complejo Educativo Refugio Sifontes Teacher’s name: ____________________________

Date: ______________

Objective: To identify some didactics fundamentals used by the teacher in the English class.

No.

CRITERIA

1

Does the teacher give to know the objective to students?

Are the students motivated and interested in the English Language?

Does the teacher apply different activities in the teaching learning process?

Is the content studied according with the students’ level?

Does the teacher use different didactic resources during the class?

Is there a good environment during the learning process?

Is the class time enough to finish the planned activities by the teacher?

Does the teacher apply techniques researched in this study?

F2

9

Do the students use a textbook?

F5

10

Does the teacher use different methods researched in this study?

Are the students willing to learn and improve the English language?

F3

12

Are the students stressed during the assessment?

F6

13

Do the students look comfortable with the classes?

F1

14

How often does the teacher use a tape recorder in the class?

F5

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

11

N

F1 F4 F6 F5 F1 F5 F4

F1

N=Never / S=Sometimes / F=Frequent / A=Always

57

S

F

A

TABULATION DATA OF THE OBSERVATION CHECKLIST

No.

CRITERIA

N

S

1

Does the teacher give to know the objective to students?

F2

2

Are the students motivated and interested in the English Language?

F1

X

3

Does the teacher apply different activities in the teaching learning process?

Is the content studied according with the students’ level?

Does the teacher use different didactic resources during the class?

Is there a good environment during the learning process?

Is the class time enough to finish the planned activities by the teacher?

Does the teacher apply techniques researched in this study?

F4

X

F4

X

9

Do the students use a textbook?

F5

X

10

Does the teacher use different methods researched in this study?

Are the students willing to learn and improve the English language?

F3

12

Are the students stressed during the assessment?

F6

13

Do the students look comfortable with the classes?

F1

14

How often does the teacher use a tape recorder in the class?

F5

4 5 6 7 8

11

F5

X X

F1

X

F5

X

F1

A

X

F6

N=Never / S=Sometimes / F=Frequent / A=Always

58

F

X X X X X

RESULTS OF THE OBSERVATION CHECKLIST

Question 1: Does the teacher give to know the objective to students?

Observation: NEVER Didactic Fundamental: OBJECTIVE Reading of data: According with the observers, the teacher begins the classes without given to know the objectives to her students. The objectives are important part of the Didactic Fundamental, because the objectives are what the teacher wants to achieve, and also they provide a meaningful learning, but in this case the teacher does not care about the student´s knowledge of the English language, therefore she prefers that students do not know the objective that the syllabus proposes in order to improve their English language.

Question 2: Are the students motivated and interested in the English Language?

Observation: SOMETIMES Didactic Fundamental: MOTIVATION Reading of data: During the observation it can be noticed the lack motivation that students had to study, in most of the time the students did not look motivated and interested on the English Language. It is the teacher´s work to encourage the learning process, according with the information in this research the motivation provokes on students an appropriate behavior towards the learning process.

Question 3: Does the teacher apply different activities in the teaching learning process?

Observation: SOMETIMES Didactic Fundamental: TECHNIQUES 59

Reading of data: It is necessary that the teacher applies different activities in her class in order that students feel comfortable during the class, also the teacher has to promote a warm environment for the learning process, but during the English classes in this school that situation could not be observed. In this case, it can be observed that the teacher does translation activities, but she does not do in a proper way because the lack of the dictionaries, also because the students are not interested in finish this activities. Also during the observation the researchers did not see any other kind of activity applied by the teacher.

Question 4: Is the content studied according with the students’ level?

Observation: ALWAYS Didactic Fundamental: EVALUATION Reading of data: It could be observed that the contents that the teacher develops in the classroom is according with the students´ level, and the teacher develops the contents that the syllabus of eleventh grade demand, but it is the teacher´s work to verify if the contents have been assimilated. That is why the didactic fundamental called evaluation is important, through this fundamental the teacher judges the effectiveness of the learning process and from this the learning experiences should be planned again on the basis of available evidence.

Question 5 Does the teacher use different didactic resources during the class?

Observation: NEVER Didactic Fundamental: DIDACTIC RESOURCES Reading of data: Another important fundamental is the didactic resources that teacher uses in order to support and complement the teaching learning process, but during the 60

observation, the teacher did not use tape recorder neither a TV nor charts. Also it can be observed that the teacher did not use different resources during the class.

She just used the board, markers and her teacher´s book.

Question 6 Is there a good environment during the learning process?

Observation: SOMETIMES Didactic Fundamental: MOTIVATION Reading of data: During the observation the researchers could see that the environment is not warm and comfortable for the learning process also there is a lot of noise outside the classroom, and the use of cell phones produce distraction during the classes. In addition, the teacher tries to ignore the constantly distraction of the students and she does not do anything to call them the attention. It is fundamental that the teacher establishes a good relationship with students, in order to have a good environment and nice interaction that help in the development of the whole learning process.

Question 7: Is the class time enough to finish the planned activities by the teacher?

Observation: SOMETIMES Didactic Fundamental: DIDACTIC RESOURCES Reading of data: According with the information found during this research, didactic resources are all those elements combined with the intention that the teaching learning process be conducted in the best way. In this case, the class time is a useful tool, but unfortunately in this school the time is not enough to develop the planned content because the students get late to the English class and the teacher starts the class when they are in calm, and it takes about fifteen minutes; these fifteen minutes are waste of time.

This situation makes the class difficult to develop in the best

manner.

61

Question 8: Does the teacher apply techniques researched in this study?

Observation: NEVER Didactic Fundamental: TECHNIQUES Reading of data: There are lots of effective techniques to learn and to improve the English language. The techniques presented in this work are some of them and they are for oral comprehension, reading comprehension, and for writing. The technique has to be chosen and applied in appropriate circumstances, and when it is necessary in order to obtain a meaningful learning. In this case, it can be said that the teacher does not use a variety of techniques; therefore the classes are boring and monotonous.

Question 9: Do the students use a textbook?

Observation: NEVER Didactic Fundamental: DIDACTIC RESOURCES Reading of data: During the observation time the researchers never saw that students use a text book, after talking with the teacher about it, she says that students never buy the textbook. This is an important didactic resource and as the information found during the research, didactic resources provide students appropriate sensory experiences and introduction of knowledge; but students in this school have a lack of this basic tools for them.

Question 10 Does the teacher use different methods researched in this study?

Observation: SOMETIMES Didactic Fundamental: METHODS Reading of data: It is necessary that the teacher motivates students in a positive way through the proper method that satisfies the students´ needs and interests. There are a set of 62

methods, some of them are presented in this work but the researchers could not see the application of them during the class although the teacher tries to apply the translation method, but she did not do it in a proper way.

Question 11: Are the students willing to learn and improve the English language?

Observation: NEVER Didactic Fundamental: MOTIVATION Reading of data: According with the information in this research the teacher´s performance in the teaching learning process is important in order to motivate the students and get a meaningful learning, but during the observation the researchers could see that students are not motivated to learn and improve the English Language, and an important situation is that the teacher is not motivated to do her work in a best way.

The teacher needs to be convinced that her work is important, because only in that way she can convince students about the importance to learn.

Question 12: Are the students stressed during the assessment?

Observation: FREQUENTLY Didactic Fundamental: EVALUATION The objective of the evaluation is to measure and to value the learning process in students, through this the teacher has to care about the results and in this way the teaching learning process can be directed towards its improvement. The assessments do not have to be designed to discourage students. In this case, the students look uncomfortable with the assessments and they are not complete conscious about the real purpose of these activities.

Question 13: Do the students look comfortable with the classes?

Observation: SOMETIMES Didactic Fundamental: MOTIVATION 63

Reading of data: In this work it is mentioned that it is necessary to create an atmosphere of warmth, trust, work and mutual cooperation for the learning process in order that it works in a proper way. During the English class in this school the students do not look complete comfortable, they are using cell phones, talking each other, writing papers, making jokes, and just a few students are paying attention, they do not cooperate with their teacher and also she is not willing to them, in other words, she is not motivating them to modify their conduct toward the study of the second language.

Question 14: How often does the teacher use a tape recorder in the class?

Observation: NEVER Didactic Fundamental: DIDACTIC RESOURCES Reading of data: For the period of observation the researchers never saw that the teacher uses a tape recorder during the class although the tape recorder exists in the school. The lack of didactic resources during the class can be another reason of the less interest of the students to learn English language, also a tape recorder is very important audible material in order to improve listening skills on students, and the teacher can use it in order to support and complement the educational process but sadly they lack of these tools.

64

SECOND INSTRUMENT: TEACHER´S INTERVIEW

UNIVERSIDAD PEDAGOGICA DE ELSALVADOR FACULTY OF EDUCATION Complejo Educativo Refugio Sifontes Teacher’s name: ____________________________

Date: _________

Objective: To identify the use and teacher knowledge about didactic fundamentals to teach English.

1

2

What kind of evaluation do you apply in class in order to know how your students are learning? F6 Do you consider that the objectives proposed at the beginning of the process are achieved? F2

3

What is the attitude that students have with the English subject? F1

4

What didactic materials do you use in your class? F5

5

Do you consider that sufficient time is given to the subject to teach properly? Why? F5

6

What are the methods you use in your classes? F3

7

What are the techniques do you use in your classes? F4

8

Do you think this research is important? Why? F2

9

10

Do you remember the methods and techniques learned in the university? F3-F4 Do you feel comfortable and motivated to teach English in a public school? Why? F1

65

ANSWERS OF THE TEACHER´S INTERVIEW

What kind of evaluation do you apply in class in order to know how your 1

students are learning? F6 Exams and quizzes

Do you consider that the objectives proposed at the beginning of the process are achieved? F2 2

No totally, because the students are not interested in classes.

What is the attitude that students have with the English subject? F1 They do not care about the study. They are always playing, writing papers for 3 their friends, listening to music with their phones; in fact, they have not even bought the book.

What didactic materials do you use in your class? F5 4 Teacher´s guide of “American shine for teens”, markers and whiteboard

Do you consider that sufficient time is given to the subject to teach properly? Why? F5 5

No, because the time is about 45 minutes per class but the students come late into the classroom and I can´t do all the planned activities.

What are the methods you use in your classes? F3 The methods are used according to the students´ needs. The most used is the 6 Translation but they never finish the activities because the lack of dictionaries

What are the techniques do you use in your classes? F4 7

I do not use a specific technique

66

Do you think this research is important? Why? F2 Yes, because we can realize the reality in schools, the students show apathy 8

towards the study, we can see the reality in the schools, and it is different from the theory that we receive in the university. Also the teacher is limited by the students and their parents.

Do you remember the methods and techniques learned in the university?

F3-F4 9

No really, I just remember some of them because it was a long time ago. and in the reality methods cannot be applied in its fullness in public schools

Do you feel comfortable and motivated to teach English in a public school?

Why? F1 10

No totally, Because I feel the students reject to study, and there is not enough support by the government to the teacher in order to implant a system to acquire good results on students.

67

Question 1 What kind of evaluation do you apply in class in order to know how your students are learning?

Answer: Exams and quizzes Didactic fundamental: EVALUATION Reading of data: The teacher in this school is evaluating by doing written exams and quizzes, those have a percentage in each trimester average. Through this work it can be said that evaluation helps teacher to measure how much knowledge is getting by students.

Another point is to know if the objectives have been achieved during the process.

Unfortunately in this case the students’ results are not good, because students do not care about scores. Even the teacher does not apply others evaluation methods like dialogues, discussion, observation and interview.

Question 2 Do you consider that the objectives proposed at the beginning of the process are achieved?

Answer: No totally, because the students are not interested in classes.

Didactic Fundamental: OBJECTIVE Reading of data: The teacher’s answer shows that the teaching learning process has not been applied in a correct way, also it can be said that students are not motivated and for that reason they are not interested in the English classes. Through the study it can be said that objectives are very important, because they are the goals that the teacher wants to achieve in the teaching learning process, and they show the way where the teacher needs to go, and how to manage the process. For that reason,

68

it can be said that the students are not achieving the objectives and the process is not developed in a correct way.

Question 3 What is the attitude that students have with the English subject?

Answer: They do not care about the study. They are always playing, writing papers for their friends, listening to music with their phones; in fact, they have not even bought the book.

Didactic Fundamental: MOTIVATION Reading of data: Motivation is so important in the teaching learning process, because it helps to change students’ behavior and to awake their interest to the language. But in this case it can be said that students are not motivated and that is why they do not enjoy English classes, even the teacher is not doing her best effort in order to change this attitude. As it is in the teacher’s answer the students do not care about the class and they spend the time in doing other kind of activities like writing papers to their classmates, listening to music and playing during the class. It can be said that students are not getting the knowledge in any way.

Question 4 What didactic materials do you use in your class?

Answer: Teacher´s guide of “American shine for teens”, markers and whiteboard Didactic Fundamental: DIDACTIC RESOURCES Reading of data: Didactic resources are essential tools in the teaching learning process, because they do the process easier and also they give students better knowledge 69

assimilation. According with the teacher’s answer, it can be said that she is not provided with appropriate resources in order to develop the classes with warm and funny environment with the intention of creating an interesting process. But she is not doing anything to change or solve this problem; even she is not trying to do it.

The teacher does not do any kind of didactic resources like flashcards, posters or any other that could help her to develop the classes.

Question 5 Do you consider that sufficient time is given to the subject to teach properly?

Why? Answer: No, because the time is about 45 minutes per class but the students come late into the classroom and I cannot do all the planned activities.

Didactic Fundamental: DIDACTIC RESOURCES Reading of data: As it was said before didactic resources are important and time is part of them, because it provides how long the process can be taken with the purpose to plan activities, knowledge, and evaluation. Unfortunately in this case, time is interrupted by students’ attitude; because they get late to classes, and the teacher does not do anything to solve this, even she does not receive any support from the Principal into establish discipline in order to change students’ behavior. In addition, students have extra scholar activities or celebrations and the time is shorter to develop the whole process during the year.

70

Question 6 What are the methods you use in your classes?

Answer: The methods are used according to the students´ needs. The most used is the Translation but they never finish the activities because the lack of dictionaries.

Didactic Fundamental: METHODS Reading of data: Methods are the ones that address the acquisition of knowledge and they allow achieving the objectives in a shorter time and with the less effort, in other words methods are the procedures and resources to lead the learning process.

According with the teacher’s answer, she is mostly based on translation; even she says that methods are used according to the students’ needs; it can be said that she frequently asked for translation to her students, and the activities are not finished, because the lack of dictionaries. According with the study, it is necessary to apply a variety of methods in order to have meaningful learning otherwise the process would be boring and monotonous.

Question 7 What are the techniques do you use in your classes?

Answer: I do not use a specific technique Didactic Fundamental: TECHNIQUE Reading of data: Techniques are the tools that help to develop the method entirety, because it details step by step what to do in the teaching learning process. In this case the teacher did not specify any one, that is why the researchers can be said that she does not have clear what methods and techniques are, because the study said that

71

method needs a range of techniques to be effective, and for that reason English classes are boring.

Question 8 Do you think this research is important? Why? Answer: Yes, because we can realize the reality in schools, the students show apathy towards the study, we can see the reality in the schools, and it is different from the theory that we receive in the university. Also the teacher is limited by the students and their parents.

Didactic Fundamental: MOTIVATION Reading of data: According to the teacher’s point of view this research is important, because readers can make a comparison between reality and theory. She also mentioned that it is nice to receive the theory about methods, techniques and teacher roles, but in reality it is totally different; because nowadays the teenagers are focused on their young and to have fun, for that reason they have apathy towards the study.

Also, teacher adds that it does not matter how much the teacher does in order to have students’ attention, it does not work because they are focused in something different of study. In addition, the teacher roles are limited on the rules given by the Minister of Education, and that means to give more benefits to students and their parents, and the teacher does not have any support.

Question 9 Do you remember the methods and techniques learned in the university?

Answer: No really, I just remember some of them because it was a long time ago, and in the reality methods cannot be applied in its fullness in public schools.

72

Didactic Fundamental: METHODS AND TECHNIQUES Reading of data: As it was said before methods are the procedures and resources to lead learning process, also it needs important tools called techniques, in order to develop entirety method that is why it is essential that the teacher applies them in a correct way. Unfortunately in this case the teacher does not remember them at all, that is why the researchers can said that her classes have lack of variety of techniques and methods, and her classes become monotonous and boring, for that reason students do not care about her classes. On the other hand, she is not taking into account her students’ needs and interests, even she is not trying to be updated in order to resolve this problem.

Question 10 Do you feel comfortable and motivated to teach English in a public school? Why? Answer: No totally, because I feel the students reject to study, and there is not enough support by the government to the teacher in order to implant a system to acquire good results on students.

Didactic Fundamental: MOTIVATION Reading of data: Trough the work it can be said that motivation changes students’ behavior and it has to be developed by the teacher. Unfortunately in this case it can be said that neither the students nor the teacher are motivated and this is the biggest problem faced in this school, because the teaching learning process is not developed in a good way therefore there is not any meaningful learning. Also, she adds that the government is making great efforts in order to help families by given them all the scholar tools, but it would be wonderful if the government ask students to acquire good averages, because she says that it would help students to be interested toward study.

73

THIRD INSTRUMENT: SURVEY APPLIED TO THE STUDENTS

The purpose of this survey was to find out if the teacher applies the didactic fundamentals in English classes, and to know if the students were really motivated to carry out the teacher’s activities. In other words, identify the didactic fundamentals and the practice application used by the teacher in her classes.

Also, another purpose is to verify what kind of didactic resources the teacher uses in the English teaching learning process, and which one is the most effective. Each question provides a wide variety of information that asks how students understand the second language and it gives a better idea how the English teaching learning process is developed.

In the following chart are detailed the didactic fundamentals studied in this research in order to have a better comprehension of the instruments applied during the study.

DIDACTIC FUNDAMENTAL Fundamental 1

F1

Motivation

Fundamental 2

F2

Objectives of learning

Fundamental 3

F3

Methods

Fundamental 4

F4

Techniques

Fundamental 5

F5

Didactic resources

Fundamental 6

F6

Evaluation

74

UNIVERSIDAD PEDAGOGICA DE ELSALVADOR FACULTY OF EDUCATION

STUDENTS` SURVEY

Complejo Educativo Refugio Sifontes Teacher’s name: ____________________________

Date: _______________

Objective: To identify the didactic fundamentals and the practice application used by the teacher in the English classes.

Nº

CRITERIA

Always

1

Do you like English classes?

F1

2

Do you use textbooks in the English classes?

F5

3

Do you do translation exercises in class?

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Do you understand the instruction to resolve the evaluation activities given by the teacher Do you practice English by singing songs in class?

Have you watched movies in the English classes?

Does your teacher help you to correct your pronunciation?

Do you practice dynamics in English during the class?

Do you think that your English classes are interesting?

Do you think that you have increased your level of English?

75

F3, F4

F6

F4

F4

F4

F1

F1

F2

Sometimes

Rarely

Never

TABULATION OF THE STUDENTS´ SURVEY

NÂş

Result of the survey applied to 69 students of Second year of General High School.

1

Do you like English classes?

2

3

Always

F1

Do you use textbooks in the English

Sometimes

Rarely

8

61

F5

classes?

Do you do translation exercises in class?

F3, F4

Never

69

63

6

22

32

13

2

5

56

8

Do you understand the instruction to 4

resolve the evaluation activities given by

F6

the teacher

5

6

7

8

9

10

Do you practice English by singing songs in class?

Have you watched movies in the English classes?

Does your teacher help you to correct

F4

F4

F4

your pronunciation?

Do you practice dynamics in English

69

56

13

F1

during the class?

Do you think that your English classes are interesting?

Do you think that you have increased your level of English?

76

10

59

F1

46

21

2

F2

9

48

12

RESULTS OF THE STUDENTS´ SURVEY Question #1

Didactic fundamental: MOTIVATION Reading of data: According to the Didactic Fundamental regarding to the motivation from the sample of students, 61 students considered rarely motivated and only 9 students felt sometimes motivated, because she does not take into account their needs and interests. In the teaching learning process, is very important to motivate students through create them the need to learn the language, and this work is done by the teacher, but in this case the students are not motivated that is why most of them do not like English language.

77

Question #2

Didactic fundamental: DIDACTIC RESOURCES Reading of data: In the question number two the 100% of the students answered that they never use any text book in the English class and regarding to the Fundamentals, didactic resources play an important role in the English Teaching Learning process.

According with the information obtained from the teacher, she asked students´ parents to buy the book, but they did not do it, neither the teacher nor the principal do anything to change this attitude. For that reason the teacher is working only with the teacher edition book called “American shine for teens”. For the researchers this is a big problem because the teacher does not have an important didactic resource to make the teaching learning process easier.

78

Question #3

Didactic fundamental: METHODS AND TECHNIQUES Reading of data: According to the students, 63 of them answered that they always do translation exercises in class, while 6 of them said that sometimes they did. The didactic fundamentals regarding to the methods and techniques consider that it is necessary a variety of techniques in order to have a meaningful learning. With the result of this question, it can be said that the teacher does not have clear the importance of applying different methods and techniques through different activities and the activity of translation is not being applied in a correct way, because the students never use dictionaries and as a result they never complete activities, this is a problem in the teaching learning process because in this case the students do not improve their vocabulary and also the process is more difficult.

79

Question #4

Didactic fundamental: EVALUATION Reading of data: The result gotten in this question shows that the teacher tries to give clear instructions because 22 students answered that they understand the instructions given by her, while 32 of them considered that sometimes they understand them, 13 said that they rarely understand but only 2 said that they never understand the instructions. Teacher must explain the instruction in the best way in order that students obtain better results at the time to be evaluated, and this way the teacher can measure how much the students learned during the process. It can be said that the teacher´s instructions are clear, but the difficult that students have to face is to resolve the evaluation activities because they do not study.

80

Question #5

Didactic fundamental: TECHNIQUES Reading of data: The results gotten in this question shows that rarely in the classes students sing a song, 5 students answered that they sometimes sing a song, while 8 students said that they never sing a song. Singing a song could be a nice technique not only to get the knowledge but motivation too. This kind of activities was not seen in the teaching learning process in this English class that is why it can be said that classes are monotonous. This technique could be an excellent tool to make a warm and comfortable environment and in that way students get knowledge in a funny and attractive way.

81

Question #6

Didactic fundamental: TECHNIQUES Reading of data: In this question all of the students answered that they never watch movies in class.

Watching movies helps to students to increase the vocabulary and maintain an interest in the language. It is an excellent tool to learn the language. It is important that students get used to listening different kind of English pronunciation.

Unfortunately the school is not provided of this type of resources. For that reason the researchers can say that the classes become boring and monotonous, because the teacher does not have appropriate resources to develop classes and the process becomes more difficult.

82

Question #7

Didactic fundamental: METHODS AND TECHNIQUES Reading of data: According to the results in this question 56 students said that the teacher helps them to correct their pronunciation, while 13 of them answered that sometimes she helped them. Error correction is a good technique to help students to correct their pronunciation. In this case the teacher applies this technique but it is possible that she does not do it with all the students in the class and this produces less interest in the students that do not like the language because she does not take them into account. It is necessary that a technique must be chosen and applied in appropriate circumstances in order to respond to a necessity of students and to encourage their learning process.

83

Question #8

Didactic fundamental: TECHNIQUES Reading of data: The results shows that 10 students answered that rarely the teacher does dynamics, while 5 of them said that she never does dynamics in class. Through the study it can be said that it is very important to motivate the students in order to change their behavior and to have better results in the process, in this case the teacher does not apply dynamics in class and some students could think that activities like translation and repeat some sentences can be a dynamic, the true is that the majority of students feel the necessity to improve their classes through dynamics. For that reason it is necessary to make fun activities to create a good environment in class, also dynamics help that students be free of stress and in that way they can receive the knowledge in a good way.

84

Question # 9

Didactic fundamental: MOTIVATION Reading of data: In this question 46 students said that English classes are sometimes interesting, while 21 students considered that rarely the classes are interesting and 2 of them answered that the classes are never interesting. A lot of them show a lack of motivation, and without motivation the process becomes bored and monotonous. This study shows that an important fundamental is the motivation, because it allows students to change their behavior and to get better results. The teacher needs to work very hard for motivating her students.

85

Question #10

Didactic fundamental: OBJECTIVE OF LEARNING Reading of data: The results gotten in this question shows that 9 of the students considered that they have sometimes increased their level, while 48 of them said that rarely they have done it, and 12 of the students answered that they have not increased their level of English. It can be said that it is notorious that students feel the need to improve their English language. Also through this question it can be observed that objectives are not being achieved, and they are very important in the teaching learning process, because they show the results the teacher has to achieve by planning the process. That is why it can be said that the teacher is not planning in a good way according with students needs.

86

10. THEORETICAL METHODOLOGICAL FORMULATION

According to the authors Julio Larrea and Maria Guadalupe Moreno Bayardo, the Motivation is an essential part in the teaching-learning process, because it moves human beings to respond to an activity and tries to get a better behavior. It is necessary to be conscious that each activity in human life is created for a reason.

Also, an important aspect is that both authors agree that the teaching practice is founded on the students’ interests and in this way the student will have an expected result by the teacher.

Moreover, this research shows the teacher’s point of view in this public school, she says that the most common problem she has faced is the students` attention, also their attitude because they always show apathy towards the language, even though she tries to make them aware of the need to speak a second language but she does not apply different methods and techniques, that is why students refuse to do the activities asked by the teacher. Even though she is conscious that it is necessary the use of a variety of methods, techniques or strategies regarding to have a good development in the English learning by applying the didactic fundamentals, but she does not apply them. The way how the teacher uses and applies the didactic fundamentals is essential in the process and in her students’ learning.

There are some disadvantages in this school, for example, the English teacher has not been provided with the adequate resources to develop the class in an effective manner, she just counts with “American shine for teens” Teacher’s Edition, whiteboard and markers. At the beginning of the year she asked the student’s book but the parents never responded even the teacher received any support by the principal of the school. The teacher’s creativity is not shown in order to improve the students’ learning process. There is no any other resource she has, even the students do not have textbook, neither a dictionary; for this reason, the researchers 87

consider that all these factors do not contribute to have a good development of teaching learning process.

Julio Larrea and Maria Guadalupe Bayardo Moreno state on their books that didactic fundamentals have to be applied by the teacher in the English Teaching Learning process. Otherwise, the process cannot be developed appropriately, and students do not have a meaningful learning. They focus on the students’ interest and needs, and the teacher in this school does not take into account this detail, because she states that students have apathy to the English Language and students consider that they will not need it.

The researchers have had the opportunity to observe the teacher activities in “Complejo Educativo Refugio Sifontes”, and according to the results of the observation check list and the teachers’ interview applied, it can be said that there is a lack of motivation in students because the class is boring, monotonous, and even she does not have the adequate didactic resources, she does not apply different methods and techniques to develop an English class in the right way. For that reason students do not care about the class because they are not motivated.

88

11.

DEVELOPMENT AND THEORETICAL DEFINITION

In this research it has been identified the didactic fundamentals that all teachers should take into account to develop the teaching-learning process in the right way in order that students obtain a meaningful learning, also the didactic resources that help teachers to develop the English classes in the best way.

Through this study and the observation of the English classes done at “Complejo Educativo Refugio Sifontes”, the researchers can determine that didactic fundamentals mean take into account everything that goes with the Didactics, because as the authors have said, the Didactics is founded in the students´ interests and needs, a task that the teachers have to discover and try to satisfy during the Teaching Learning Process.

In the development of this research have been cited the motivation as a didactic fundamental in the process, because this leads the students’ behavior and it has to be induced by the teacher in order to achieve the proposed objectives through the creation and satisfaction of their needs. But this important aspect in the process has not been applied for different reasons, such as:

Students’ apathy to the language and it provokes a negative attitude towards the activities done by the teacher.

Lack of teacher´s creativity to develop the class The teacher does not show worry about student´s results.

89

Lack of didactic resources, which facilitate the teacher`s job and help the knowledge’s assimilation in students. Neither the students have a textbook, nor a dictionary.

The objectives embodied in the National Curriculum cannot be fulfilled because of the inadequate students’ English level.

Also, the teacher considers that the class time is not enough to develop a method in its fullness; because sometimes the time of the class is covered by another kind of activities such as soccer match, different celebrations, and the students never come on time.

In the observation done at school, it has been seen as the teacher has all the good intentions to promote the learning on her students by talking to them about the importance of the English language in the current society, but she feels that the biggest difficulty she has to face is the lack of attention of her students.

It is important to mention that it has been possible to observe the teacher’s job and effort in order that her students acquire the English language, the teacher meets Julio Larrea and Maria Guadalupe Bayardo qualities mentioned on their books, such as proving security in the knowledge of the subject, her willingness to help students, be clear and modest, but unfortunately this has not been enough to motivate her students.

The researchers conclude that the greatest difficulty in the population of eleventh grade that have been the object of study is the necessity to create them a need for language learning, in order to motivate them and make a change in their lives within the school.

90

CHAPTER THREE

OPERATIVE FRAMEWORK

12.

DESCRIPTION OF THE SUBJECTS OF INVESTIGATION

As it was mentioned in the previous chapter, it is very important that the teacher applies the didactic fundamentals in order to develop the teaching learning process in a good manner to get a meaningful learning and in this way to develop autonomy in the students and human development in the society where they live.

In addition, it has been mentioned that is essential that the teacher takes into account the students interests and needs, because it will help to guide them and manage the whole process with the purpose to achieve the objectives proposed at the beginning of the process. It has been described as didactic fundamentals: objectives of learning, motivation, methods, techniques, didactic resources and evaluation, because the authors Julio Larrea and Maria Guadalupe Moreno Bayardo consider that these are the didactic fundamentals which drive the teaching-learning process with the purpose to provide a meaningful learning in the students.

This study was performed in “Complejo Educativo Refugio Sifontes�, which is located in Ciudad Delgado, taking as object of study the students of Second Year of General High School section A and B. The English teacher has taught for seventeen years (teaching different subjects), but in this school is her first year as English teacher.

During the observation of the English classes in the school the teamwork was able to identify that the didactic fundamentals described in this research are not being correctly applied. From the objectives of learning that the teacher must propose in 91

order to achieve the student’s results, to the way of evaluating the learning, because the teacher did not apply different ways to do it; that is why students did not look comfortable with the development of the fundamentals during the class.

Also, it could be seen the lack of appropriate didactic resources for the development of English classes. All of these factors do not create any motivation to the students in order to learn the English language.

On the other hand, in terms of the teacher’s attitude it can be said that she shows little importance about the teaching learning process and her lack of concern and motivation does not allow her to apply correctly the didactic fundamentals in order to develop the English language in its fullness. The results of this research show how students become vulnerable to an ineffective education system and without any true commitment towards the education of the youth of this institution.

92

13.

PROCEDURE FOR GATHERING DATA

In the period of the study, the researchers visited the school once a week every month since April to July 2011. To gather all the information that was necessary to accomplish the objectives of this research, it was essential to arrange all the activities that were going to be needed.

To begin with this study it was important to identify the didactic fundamentals used by the teacher during the practice application in the English classes. So it was necessary to observe the classes with the purpose of having a general idea about the development of them and in that way, it could be possible to analyze didactic fundamentals applied during the teaching learning process.

Moreover, it was

created an instrument to provide the required information through classroom observations. The instrument allowed knowing that unfortunately the English teacher does not apply the didactic fundamentals in a correct manner.

On the other hand, it was necessary to know the importance that was given to the didactic fundamentals to develop English classes, and in this manner students have meaningful learning that is why it was created an instrument to interview the teacher and to know her point of view. The oral interview was applied on July 8th 2011, this was applied at Complejo Educativo Refugio Sifontes, in which she mentioned that she does not remember at all about the methods and techniques needed to teach English, also she is not comfortable with the student’s attitudes, but she does not try to change this student’s behavior. Also, she feels unhappy with the education system because she says that the government does not ask for any kind of students academic results.

In addition, it was important to administer a survey to students with the purpose to identify the didactic fundamentals applied in English classes. Also, to verify which are the most effective didactic resources used by the teacher in her classes.

93

This survey was administered to students of Second Year of General High School divided in two sections: 34 students of section A and 35 students of section B, at Complejo Educativo Refugio Sifontes; it lasted about 15 minutes per section. This instrument provided very important information in which was found that students are not motivated to learn the English language, also that the teacher does not apply different methods and techniques in the teaching learning process, all this complicate the learning since it does not allow to achieve the objectives. These instruments were necessary in order to have a clear idea about what are the didactic fundamentals used in the English classes and to analyze how the teacher is applying them during the learning process.

94

14.

SPECIFICATION OF THE TECHNIQUES OF READING OF DATA

According with the interests of the researchers this investigation was descriptive, because it describes the process that was done during the study with the purpose to achieve the objectives proposed at the beginning of this research with information taken from books, web sites, interview and different instruments. With this kind of technique the researchers in this investigation had the necessary information about the correct use of the didactic fundamentals in English language described during this work.

During the process it was required to apply double-entry tables to get the results of three instruments, which they were necessary to do in order to obtain needed information for this work. In addition, the researchers made the reading of the results of each question written on the student’s survey. Also, the analysis of results obtained from each question answered by the teacher during the interview which permits to know the teacher point of view related with some didactic fundamentals and unfortunately, it shows results not very favorable to the teacher even for the development of the teaching learning process. Another point during the process was the analysis of the results of questions written on the observation checklist, which facilitated the study of identification of didactic fundamentals used by the teacher during the class. These tools allowed identifying the procedures and the importance that the objects of study had by analyzing carefully the results to meet the objectives set at the beginning of the study.

95

15. CHRONOGRAM

Dirección de Investigación Científica y Transferencia Tecnológica Especialidad: Inglés Asesor: Lic. Emilio Pacheco Año: 2010-2011 Tema: “Didactic Fundamentals used in the English Language teaching, Second year of General High School, Complejo Educativo Refugio Sifontes, San Salvador, 2010 - 2011 Actividades: Investigación Documental / Investigación de campo

Septie 2010

Octubre Noviem Diciem 2010 2010 2010

Enero 2011

Febrero Marzo 2011 2011

Abril 2011

Mayo 2011

JunIo 2011

Julio 2011

Agosto 2011

Septie 2011

Octubre Noviem 2011 2011

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

1

Investigación documental

1.1

Selección de bibliografía a utilizar

1.2

Lectura y selección de citas bibliográficas

1.3

Fichas bibliográficas y de resumen (fichas elaboradas en SI y actualizadas) Fichas de conceptos / categorías

1.4 2

Marco conceptual

2.1

Introducción

2.2

Antecedentes problema

2.3

Justificación

2.4

Planteamiento problema

del

del

96

2.5

Alcances y limitaciones

2.6

Recuento de conceptos y categorías a utilizar

2.7

Reuniones con asesor

2.8

Entrega Primer Avance

2.9

Corrección primer avance

2.1

Entrega primer avance corregido

3

Marco Teórico

3.1

Fundamentación teóricometodológica

3.2

Construcción marco empírico

3.2.

1

Diseño de instrumentos de investigación

3.2.

2

Levantamiento de información

3.2.

3

Procesamiento de la información

3.2.

4

Análisis de la información

3.2.

5

Elaboración de informe

3.2.

6

Formulación teóricometodológica de lo investigado

3.3

Desarrollo y definición teórica (posterior a contraposición de autores)

3.4

Reuniones con asesor

97

3.5

Entrega del 2° avance

3.6

Corrección 2° avance

3.7

Entrega 2° avance corregido

3.9

Marco Operativo

4

Descripción de los sujetos de la investigación

4.1

Procedimientos para recopilación de datos

4.2

Especificación de la técnica para el análisis de los datos

4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7

Coronograma Recursos Indice preliminar sobre informe final Reuniones con asesor Entrega del 3° Avance

Alumnos: Jessica Iselì García Campos, Ester Noemy López de Jorge Firma de Acuerdo: Asesor ________________________ Estudiantes: _______________________ Fecha: ________________________

98

_________________________

16.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RESOURCES

To carry out this research it was important to use resources to provide the necessary results to achieve the proposed objectives at the beginning of the study.

The researchers in this project used both human and material resources to get as much information from the students as possible.

The human resources: First of all, the researchers needed the principal`s help who provide permission to do the research in this school. Unfortunately, she did not want to give any kind of information about the population and school history. It was the coordinator of High School who gave the eleventh grade population and attendance lists. It was necessary to identify the didactic fundamentals used in the teaching practice, also to verify the most effective didactic resources in her classes, that is why the researchers had an oral interview with the teacher who gave the permission to be in her classes in order to provide for this study her methodologies of teaching, her personal experience in public school, and other kind of information needed for this study.

This important decision to let the researchers observe her classes provided essential information in the development of the study, because the researchers analyzed the didactic fundamentals used by the teacher, also the students contributed in this study by giving their own points of view through a survey about how the teaching learning process is developed in the class.

Material resources: The main tools used in this research were books and websites.

The books are:

99

Didáctica del Inglés by

Izabella Hearn and Antonio Garcés Rodríguez The

Practice of the English Language by Jeremy Harmer, Didáctica General I by Murley Esther Mancia y otros, Didáctica, fundamentación y práctica by María Guadalupe Moreno Bayardo, La dimensión afectiva en el aprendizaje de idiomas

by Jane Arnold, Effectiveness of the most common methodologies used in the teaching learning process of the English Language in the junior High School at Centro Escolar Gustavo Marroquín during the year 2006 by Gloria Pineda and Jenny Anzora Somoza, Memoria de Labores 2007-2008 by Ministerio de Educación Gobierno de El Salvador, Enciclopedia de Pedagogía Práctica Escuela para Maestros by Cadiex Internacional S.A, Didáctica General by Julio Larrea, Didáctica de las segundas lenguas by J. M. Ferrán P. Bello. All of these books provided important information for this study.

And the websites used are: www.englishclub.com/english-languaje-history.html; www.mined.gob.sv/index.php/institucion/marco/historia.html; http://educacion.idoneos.com/index.php/118466; http://www.englishraven.com;

http://onlineeducationblog.net/role-of-evaluation-in-

the-teaching-learning-process/.

On the other hand, it was necessary to take into account some instruments which contributed to identify the didactic fundamentals and the practice application used by the teacher, also to verify the most effective didactic resources used in class, for that reason the researchers made these instruments in which it was necessary to take in account the teacher’s and student’s points of view. Another important part was the observation that the researchers had during the classes, that is why it was essential to do different instruments for this research. These three instruments were very important to develop this study.

These were the resources the researchers used in order to achieve the objectives proposed at the beginning of the study.

100

17.

PRELIMINARY INDEX ABOUT THE FINAL REPORT

The most important information that support this study about the didactic fundamentals used in the English classes is divided in three parts which are: Conceptual framework, Theoretical framework, and Operative framework. A synthesis of these aspects is presented below:

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK This first part of the research includes: The introduction in which is presented a basic description of the elements of this study, also it includes the topic, which is the Didactic Fundamentals used in the English Language teaching, Second year of General High School of Complejo Educativo Refugio Sifontes. The General objective, that expresses the general action that this study took in real way, the specific objectives that show the specific actions which allow to get deeper in the study. Antecedents of the problem, it contains information about antecedents of other similar researches and a synthesis about the Education system in El Salvador. The justification, it explains the importance to do this study. The statement of the problem, it consists about an explanation of the situation in the real life, the possible causes and effects of the use of fundamental resources in classes. Achievements and Limitations, in which is mentioned the different authors’ points of view, the ideas they share and the differences they have. Concepts and Categories, it details the concepts commonly used in this research.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK The second part of this research contains these elements: The Theoretical Methodological Fundamentation, it consists in the description and definition of the concepts directly related with the study like the motivation, objectives of learning, 101

methods, techniques, didactic resources and evaluation. Moreover, it contains the empirical framework which is reflected in the monograph that is a brief history of the municipality of Ciudad Delgado in which is located the school of the study, also it is mentioned the political division, geography, climate, health services, the hydrograph, the logo of the municipality and the Education system. In the history of the school Complejo Educativo Refugio Sifontes is presented a map of its location in the municipality, a brief description about the English teacher and a list of the population studied.

OPERATIVE FRAMEWORK In the last part it is mentioned the description of the object of study in which it can be observed that the didactic fundamentals described in this work are not being applied in a correct way by the teacher, and this can generate that the students did not look comfortable with the development of the fundamentals during the class. In the procedure for gathering data, it is described different procedures to obtain the information that was analyzed; these procedures were the observation instrument, which allowed knowing that the English teacher does not apply the didactic fundamental in a correct manner. The specification of the techniques of the Reading of data describes the techniques used to analyze the information like the graphic and the double-entry tables. Also, in the description of the resources are specified the human and material resources used during the whole research in about thirteen months and how these resources help to identify and verify the use of didactic fundamentals and its practice application during the English classes.

As it has been mentioned before, this study was divided in three important parts, in which the general and specific objectives become achieved through each framework.

102

18.

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES

Books Enciclopedia de Pedagogía Práctica Escuela para Maestros 2004. 1ª Edición.

Montevideo, Uruguay, Cadiex Internacional S.A.

Izabella Hearn and Antonio Garcés Rodríguez, 2003. Didáctica del Inglés. Madrid, España. Pearson Education S.A.

J. M. Ferrán P. Bello, 1998, Didáctica de las segundas lenguas, Madrid, Editorial Santillana.

Jane Arnold, 2000. La dimensión afectiva en el aprendizaje de idiomas. Madrid España, Cambridge University Press.

Jeremy Harmer, 2004, The Practice of the English Language 4° edition. Englang.

Pearson Education Limited.

Julio Larrea, 1957, Didáctica General, 1a edición, México DF, Editorial Herrero y CÍA, S.A.

María Guadalupe Moreno Bayardo, 2002. Didáctica, fundamentación y práctica, México D.F. Editorial Progreso S.A. 103

Memoria de Labores 2007-2008, Ministerio de Educación Gobierno de El Salvador

Murley Esther Mancia, y otros, 2003, “Didáctica General I” El Salvador, UCA Editores.

Thesis Gloria Delmy Pineda Ramírez, , Jenny Margarita Anzora Somoza, , “Effectiveness of the most common methodologies used in the teaching learning process of the English Language in the junior High School at Centro Escolar Gustavo Marroquín during the year 2006”

Websites http://educacion.idoneos.com/index.php/118466 http://onlineeducationblog.net/role-of-evaluation-in-the-teaching-learning-process/ http://www.englishraven.com www.englishclub.com/english-languaje-history.html www.mined.gob.sv/index.php/institucion/marco/historia.html

104