Teaching students in further education
In this chapter an overview is given of what motivation is and how this can be translated to the daily practice of teaching English to nursing students.
Motivation in learning
It is no news that the success of a lesson depends on how well the students cooperate in class. In order to gain satisfactory learning results, students have to be motivated to put effort in their learning process. Moreover, the higher their motivation to learn the better the outcome will be. How do we, as teachers, meet this general set goal? First, it is of importance that the distinction in the way of being motivated is made.
Motivation is an internal process that reflects the wish to meet a certain …show more content…
Students taking a course at a level lower than NLQF 4 are exempted from this obligation.
The reason why the Dutch government has decided to include a foreign language in the curriculum lies in the fact that many NLQF 4 VET learners continue studying at a higher level. Mastering English is of great importance for a successful continuation of their studies. On top of that, the Dutch economy is becoming more internationally focused and being able to use the English language in all forms, is of added value.
Since English is one of the mandatory subjects for students studying at MBO level 4 at colleges for further education, nursing students are included in this group.
Language learning.
I hear and I forget
I see and I believe
I do and I …show more content…
The focus on form comes before a learners engage in a communicative activity
3. The teacher is the one who controls what language is learned in the classroom
4. Learners’ products are marked with a pass when they successfully produce the target forms with an acceptable level of accuracy
Unfortunately, this approach does not encourage learners to use a second language freely, as the lessons are not learner-centred. On top of that, the language learned is to be applied in a non-realistic setting. Therefore, learners may not recognise the studied language in daily life. Consequently, the learning outcome will be less than hoped or wished.
Other approaches, which can be named meaning-based approaches, are based on the idea that learners will learn more by using the language as much as possible, even if this entails that some of the used language is inaccurate. The teacher creates opportunities to use the language for genuine communication. This involves a focus on meaning. The learners think about the language and decide how best to express themselves in a given situation.
The meaning-focused activity will inevitably be followed by the fact that they focus on language themselves. Searching their own repertoire is focusing on language. In approaches named above, the teacher’s role is to support participants, whereas the learners are actively working on improving their