BENEMRITA UNIVERSIDAD AUTNOMA DE PUEBLA

DIPLOMADO: TEACHING ENGLISH TO TEENS (TET)

TASK 1
Walqui (2000) describes the importance of learners' contextual factors when
learning a second language from three perspectives:
1. Language
2. The learner
3. The learning process
These aspects are particularly important when working with teens. In this task we
are going to focus on the learner and the learning process in your particular
context. Read the text and relate the concept to your experience. Explain which
ones are more relevant to you.
ESPECIAL NOTE:
One of the characteristics of a tesina is to describe the context of
research so think about this assignment as possible content to include in
your project. Write well done and thoughtful reflections.The topics of the
article are also possible lines of research. Keep notes!
1. Describe the learners aspects below. Which ones are present, which ones are
not. Provide an example.
The learner

Diverse needs and

goals.
When I started reading the
article of Walqui (2000), it
explains the philosophy about
adolescence is a time of
growing independence,
autonomy, and focus on
peers. It is also a time when
individual interests, skills, and
preferences become most
important to young people.
And we as teachers must do
something about their needs
and goals to reach a positive
youth development that enrich

Is it
evident in
your
context?
Yes/No

Provide an example

In
COBACH
exists
different kind
of students,
because
they come
from
different
social
classes and
this
determines
students
objectives
for the target
language.

COBACH nowadays offers 4 different trainings:

hygiene and health, teaching, informatics, and
community development to provide the chance
when they finish their high school degree to
work in these fields and continue the university.
According to the training the take different
curricula but English is taken in a general way
and it doesnt have content with their real
training areas.

the lives of young people

through informal learning, but
focus on the needs in their
surroundings because every
teen has a different
background life to acquire a
second language and this way
they feel that they fit in the
class.
Peer groups
As it is said in the article
young learners are so
influenced by the media, by
what they say in the world
they are surrounded and
Tuxtla is not a touristic place
thats why theyre not
interested in learning a
second language sometimes.

In school
they are
easily
influenced
by others
because
they want
to be
popular or
they just
want to fit
in, but
sometimes
its hard
because of
their social
status.

Lads and technology is something very

common between them because they
want to be the first ones to impress
others, in the way they look, act or simply
by the devices they take to school.

I think
nowadays
it is difficult
for them to
have a role
model
because
due to their
age they
just from
time to
time have
fun,
because
theyre not
mature

In COBACH students I have seen their

main role models are friends because
they have the same kind of interest, they
have the same values and thoughts, they
like to be spend time in their own
community but when we talk about things
in the classroom it becomes a must do
and they dont longer enjoy doing it, it
becomes and an obligation and they dont
want to perform the tasks in the
classroom.

Role models
Its important to have role
mode a person with a clear
sense of what is important for
the learners to improve and
create things that will make a
difference whenever the
student feels lazy or tired and
if they think in their role model
this will motivate them to start
working again.

enough.

Home support
Walqui (2000)says that an
important part to be
successful in life is home
support, but sadly in Mexico
as it is mentioned in the
article, it would be so nice to
have a support at home to
improve all of the skills to
learn the target language and
immediately started writing,
reading in area life context.

According
to the kind
of students
we have in
COBACH
and
because all
they come
from
different
cultural
backgroun
d we cant
get our
main target
.

Acquiring a second language is so difficult

for some of my students because in
COBACH in every classroom there are
between 50 to 52 students and not all of
them feel like learning a second language
and Tuxtla is not a place where English is
on demand.

2. Describe the learning process or ways in which students prefer to work in

your context. Describe what classroom interactions are more frequent in your
classroom. Provide examples.
The learning process

Is it
evident in
your
context?
Yes/No

Provide an example

In our
program in
COBACH is
centered in
the needs
of the
students
but in a
general

It is hard for me in COBACH to work with

so many students because not all of them
pay attention to class, and they are too
many students in a classroom and lots of
them English is not important

Learning styles
All individuals learn in different
style or forms and even more
if it is a second language
because some people are
more analytical at the time
they are learning the target
language while some others
from time to time have to
know every single word of the

linguistic parts and forms if not

they get lost when doing some
tasks.

Motivation
I love when Deci and Ryan
(1985), say motivation is an
important tool for learning for
students, because it gives
them the opportunity of being
engaged it is important to pay
attention to what motivates
language learners in the
classroom, and that we have
two types of learners
motivated learners and
unmotivated learners who are
more likely to cause
classroom disturbances and
here is where it is worthwhile
for teachers motivate both of
them because both types of
students deserves the same
attention.

way not in
a particular
need
where
students
sometimes
feel they
are not
taking into
account
and this
makes
them to
think the
language
target is
boring.

In COBACH
competenc
es are a
fundament
al part of
the student
this
provide
students
the chance
to learn
their own
learning
style and
this
learners
who are
motivated
help to the
unmotivate
d ones.

Throughout some projects students can

do lots of things working in teams and
this provides them the chance to learn
from the experience of some other of
their classmates, and feel confident when
working with people they are alike.

It is hard to

The key to be successful I think is being

Classroom interaction
The aim here is to

encourage students by
using different types of
activities. It is suggested
to consider students age,
interests, needs and skills
so that they can learn
meaningfully, but also in
an enjoyable way. The
suggestions given in this
article can be useful for
language teachers in
general.
And the Key words are
language, teaching,
learning, motivation, and
the activities in the
classroom to keep the
students attention.

put down
in words
this
because in
many high
schools the
number of
students
goes to 50
or more
thats why
this
becomes
so difficult
to do.

open to the process of knowing and

sensitive to the experience of teaching as
an art; being pushed forward by the
challenges that prevent from
bureaucratizing the experience in the
classroom; and accepting the limitations,
but trying to make a change for good and
this way students will start enjoying
English as a second language in the
classroom.