Running head: LANGUAGE LEARNING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 1
Language Learning Beyond the Classroom in My Institution
LIN 510-Linguistics
ASU
Summer 2022
LANGUAGE LEARNING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 2
Language learning beyond the classroom
Introduction
Learning a new language inside the classroom and outside are presents two different
scenarios. Given the importance of language in the preparation stage so that the learner is
equipped enough to be comfortable the same importance is relatable outside as well. Also,
much theory, research and practical approaches have centered on the improvement of
classroom conditions and empowering teacher delivery as necessary for the particular
language. There are designed syllabuses, materials researched and written, methodologies
and varied teacher-training on the best ways of exploiting the class setting to achieve the best
of the input and as such less have been done on the outside of the classroom context.
The rationale for choosing this topic is to realize the importance of understanding and
having a clear focus on the outside of the classroom language learning in my school in
Guangzhou. Research on the topic also centers on the challenges that face my institutions in
Guangzhou in delivering English language lessons as a second language, as well as the
promotional needs for the curriculum. There have been challenges and limitations outside of
the classroom-based learning in Guangzhou such as class sizes that have been found to bigger
than desired. This is a big problem that relates to my school where there are 500 students per
grade to be taught English by one teacher at a time. Time for learning in the school’s
curriculum is also limited and the allocated a few hours per week cannot offer adequate
learning and speaking opportunities.
Other challenges include the inadequate materials for learning that would offer proper
English proficiency content. These restrict class affordances for learning and the opportunity
for literary practices. In my school, the internet networks and the media have provided higher
opportunities for authentic and meaningful use of language. However, there are still problems
that need to be addressed to ensure that students learn the language effectively. There is also
a need to follow-up on the student’s homework to ensure that they work on learning English
beyond the classroom. Parents too need to adopt strategies to help their children since most of
the students need reinforcement at home as most of them are lazy. According to Sayer and
Ban (2014) the learning opportunities are social, interactive, and have multiple medium and
provide the learners with the ability to interact with English speaking people.
Solutions to the challenges can be found by the use of Self-Access Centres (SAC).
SAC provides a good alternative and is able to complement classrooms language learning.
LANGUAGE LEARNING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 3
They also work under the idea that they are able to provide the ‘language learning
environment’ due to the multiple settings, which can include individuals’ in their own
capacity in proposed framework for the issues of planning and management (Ban, 2014).
Studies also suggest the use of learning affordances in a hybrid design that integrate them in
and out of classroom set-ups to offer rich possibilities for the students regardless of the
context. Accordingly, the physical and virtual classrooms can be useful for the structured
interactions spaces for the students. It is also important to rethink the role of teachers, the
learners and the pedagogical designs in the blended learning contexts. This will allow
teachers to develop skills that go beyond the traditional class set up and teaching methods.
This paper provides the argument that in language learning, it is well implicit that the
teaching of language is always seen as a preparation for the out of class usage of language
since, traditionally, learning has been class based. Language learning beyond the classroom is
about adapting to methods and strategies that can enhance student involvement, applications
found through research and practices that include communication and interactions to enhance
language skills and counter limitations.
In addition to the structural issues, it is necessary to maintain the motivation of
learners in the event that out-of-class language practice will be effective. Students who only
treat English as an obligatory task at school can hardly replicate their engagement in their
personal environments. Sayer and Ban (2014) argue that language development opportunities
are social and interactive in nature, hence the fact that the students need to perceive
something more than a classroom exercise when it comes to English. Relationship between
learning and their hobby e.g. films, playing games or playing music helps them realize the
language as significant and entertaining instead of compulsory. To illustrate this, a student,
who listens to English-speaking influencers on the Internet, might become a genuine reason
to enhance the abilities in understanding. This motivation can be reinforced by teachers that
create assignments that are integrated into the personal lives of students, such as journaling or
digital storytelling. These activities do transfer the learner as not just a recipient of the
classroom input to an active participant of real-life communication which is a prerequisite to
the long-term growth. In the absence of these motivation strategies, even the well-tested
instructional materials will be wasted to be utilized once the learners are out of the school
setting.
The digital technologies also stretch the scope of language practice that is not
obligatory during lessons. Ban (2014) underlines that hybrid learning models (classroom and
LANGUAGE LEARNING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 4
self-access) may present abundant possibilities of allowing the learners to encounter English
in the manner, which is self-directional. The small hours in large classroom environments as
was the case in Guangzhou can be supplemented by mobile apps, online language-related
communities, and gamified platforms. These tools are adaptable and offer immediate
feedback unlike textbooks and are therefore especially effective when it comes to sustained
practice. The teachers in this case are very crucial in that they ought to advise the students on
the right platforms and format their use in such a way that it supports the curricular
objectives. Sayer and Ban (2014) students are not only exposed to diverse types of input, but
they will gain skills as digital citizens, which are more and more required in contemporary
education. Moreover, the virtual fields and discussions on the Internet can help unite learners
with peers and native speakers on the other side of the boundaries, which strengthens the
social and interactive nature of the process of language acquisition as outlined by Sayer and
Ban (2014). When used with careful consideration, technology does not decrease the
classroom, but it instead enhances and increases learning experiences.
The role of community and family participation in the face of the limitation of the
formal instruction is also essential. The studies have demonstrated that the positive language
development can hardly be achieved in schools but flourishes in the wider social setting
(Sayer and Ban, 2014). The learners can also be supported even in parents and guardians
without high proficiency through encouraging the use of English at home either by helping
them in their assignments or simple conversational practices or through helping them to
access English media. On their part, schools are able to enhance these by setting up
extracurricular activities like English clubs, cultural exchange programs, which will expose
the learners to real life experience of using the language. According to Ban (2014), these
affirmative learning conditions serve as complimentary learning areas where the confidence
and fluency of students can be boosted. The parental and community engagement can be used
in Guangzhou where the productivity of the classroom is limited by the time pressures and
the number of students in a teacher-student ratio, as well as limited curriculum time. With the
English language being a living language in the daily lives of the people, families and
communities can make the students perceive it as one of the languages that are relevant to
their identities, aspirations, and future opportunities.
LANGUAGE LEARNING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 5
LITERATURE REVIEW
Is Classroom Instruction Necessary?
The necessity of classroom instruction in teaching language has been questioned as a
concerned range from the need for a distinction between the concepts of learning and
acquisition. While the wide acceptance is that classroom instruction contributes very little to
language learning, there have been variations in the practices and forms (Richards, 2015). In
their study of learning strategies for high school students in France learning English found
functional practices as the significant contributor to the skills in writing, grammar, reading
and listening. The functional practices mean an interest-driven use of informal sources that
provide English as a language such as magazines, newspapers, radio and films. Similarly, in
Hong Kong University, Wong and Nunan (2011) studied the learning strategies and found
that the higher performing students were comparatively active and communicative as they
sought out more informal and out of class sources to build their language aptitude. These
studies and other such as Benson (2017) have come to the establishment of the association
between out of class learning and better usage and development. In addition, the observation
has not been challenged even by the proponents that argued for the importance of classroom
instruction.
A Case for Out-Of-Class Projects
In regard to the incorporation of out-of-class projects into the language learning
programs include two propositions that need examination. The first is that there are
fundamental differences between what constitutes language learning inside a classroom and
for the outside of it. Also, it is important to understand that there is a difference between
language learning and language use, which also debunks the naïve thought that the classroom
is where a language is learned and the world outside, is essential for activation and
deployment (Richards, 2015). The understanding is of course that it is possible to acquire
language in chunks and then go on to press it into the communicative service but the interplay
that comes in between acquisition and activation cannot be thus simplified (Bentley, 2000).
Hence as learners activate their linguistic resources for communication purposes, the learners
are able to acquire some new linguistic and communicative resources and skills (Lai and
Zheng, 2018).
Pedagogy is also a compelling reason for the incorporation of the out-of-class learning
because, as evidence shows, that classroom environment exclusively remains inadequate in
LANGUAGE LEARNING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 6
developing the high-level proficiency and the performance of oral applications. Reinders and
Benson (2017) synthesize studies that show that the out-of-class experiences including the
study abroad and the extra-curricular activities highly associate with the learners of foreign
language for better proficiency and for performance. The out-of-class has additional
interactions, which the in class cannot offer, which make Pfenninger and Singleton (2017)
refer to it as the minimum-input environment while still contrasting it with the exposure
amount and the learning services.
The Out of Class Learning Environment
First, learning language takes place in the ‘language learning environment’, which
space by which learning is best situated. The implication is thus an ecological view which can
be a theorized environment in the social and special terms (Chern & Dooley, 2014). Brandl,
(2009) proposed the provisions of a framework that describes the different types of the out of
class learning according to the ‘setting’. One set is the SAC which can have particular
configurations and dimensions from the laid down setting. Thus settings can be identified by
the location and the relations that to resources such as human and material and to one
another. Unlike the classroom that exists inside an institution and with its amenities such as
seats, board, limited space etc., the SAC differs in the availed materials and the personnel
within it due to the high flexibility to accommodate any learner’s needs and preferences.
Involving the Learner in Out of Class Learning
The context with which learning takes place determines the level of success in
cognitive achievement. Students in the English speaking countries find the authentic English
environment for exposure throughout of class contact through the deliberate and independent
interactions with the social and technological resources available to them (Cole &
Vanderplank, 2016). They also have the opportunity to self-direct their learning. The out of
class learning can be in the form of extensive reading, learning of vocabularies, writing
journals and dialogues, and listening extensively among other methods. The out of class
activities, have the self-drive that ensures the students are motivated and are able to set self-
achievable goals for themselves while reflecting own assessments and language learning
processes.
a. Extensive Reading
It is the approach where students engage in a lot of reading as an instructional option.
According to Brandl (2009) extensive reading is about quantity reading that helps gain a
LANGUAGE LEARNING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 7
general understanding of the content. The aim is to develop proper reading habits for
knowledge building of the structure and vocabulary and for encouraging the student to like
reading. Brandl (2009) says that reading is idealistic out of class learning experience
especially for reading in the first language and can do within the following principles.
1. The reading material should be easy
2. Read a variety of material on different topics
3. The learner needs to choose what to read.
4. Learners should read as much as they can at any time they wish
5. Prefer to read fast than in slow speed.
This help develops a positive attitude and motivation for reading and thus extend language
proficiency.
b. Extensive Listening
It is important to learn to listen, not only to understand what is being said, but also to
learn how to say it. This takes time and practice and is obviously more than the learners can
have in the in-class setting as it allows the learner to receive any kind of comprehensible and
enjoyable listening input (Grau & Legutke, 2015). Extensive listening may not provide an
explicit learning of the vocabulary, but through listening to the texts, repeated or even new,
exposes the learners to vocabulary and grammar, and allows the student to understand by the
context within which the message is communicated (Grau & Legutke, 2015).
c. Dialogue Journals
Journaling helps register the individual thoughts and experiences and helps in the
development of insights gradually. As stated by Reinders and Benson (2017), journal writing
helps one record thing systematically through the development of ideas on different events
and topics. Also, it is a form of encouragement on talent focus such as for songs writing,
poetry, drawing, which form the intrinsic maps for journal writing in psychology, education,
psychology, and literature among others. Brandl, (2009) calls them the reciprocal, on-going,
and written exchanges that take place between students and teachers over a period. The
students learn how to self-monitor and to self-edit and they are empowered enough to
communicate ideas by collaborating, discussing and presenting.
d. Interacting with native speaker’s/ language villages
LANGUAGE LEARNING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 8
Interacting with advanced language users and native speakers facilitate the learning
process by providing the opportunity to develop the communicative competence outside of
the classroom (Arnold and Fonseca-Mora, 2015). One effective way for this to take place is
to ensure that the students are in the target’s language region to increase the exposure levels
and competence. According to Benson, (2017) the students are able to stay in connection with
the host culture outside of the class and learn of the attitudes that relate to the development of
oral communication skills and accuracy.
e. Online learning
Information technology can play the language teaching role allowing for various
platforms that help people interact with one another. Learning desiring to learn any language
can simply log on to the internet and view helpful materials that can teach them about the
language. Social media is the biggest example that allows the development of communication
skills through the use of language as a medium for interaction (Lai & Zheng, 2018). The
learners extend their proficiency through interactional and transactional uses of language
beyond the formal instruction settings and embrace the opportunities to develop their skills.
Online learning takes many forms that include chat rooms, which enable the similarly
interested people to meet and interacts through tests or spoken messages as organized under
various topics. Self-Access Centres (SAC) are also established through online versions where
learners access learning resources tailored to their needs (Benson, 2017).
Enhancing the Proficiency and Skills of the Learner in various Skill areas
In most of the out-of-class scholarly methods and prospects are experimental in
nature, and they offer the opportunity for the comprehensible interactional processes for
learner support. One is the use of digital games, which have entertainment as well as
language development value (Lai & Zheng, 2018). They offer vocabularies and topics that
may not be available in the regular talks and developing familiarity. Listening logs offer
English, or any other language, ways for the listeners to navigate in the learning experiences
and situations. They include Television dramas, feature films and comedy, documentaries and
news. Online resources are also helpful due to the variety of spoken and written texts. A good
example of a resource is the TED talk to help develop good language skills. The highly
varied topics include transcripts and translations for different languages as well as message
postings as a reaction to videos.
LANGUAGE LEARNING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 9
Besides the digital materials, extracurricular learning by peers is a crucial aspect in
developing competence in various domains. It is best that learners be provided with a chance
to practice their language using real-life social context, and peer-peer interactions are the best
sort of interactions they can get. Indicatively, some methods used include, study groups or
informal conversation clubs, where learners would test their vocabulary and structures in a
non-judgemental atmosphere where the error would be considered as a learning process. Lai
and Zheng (2018) also recommend that fluency and the feeling of confidence, in particular,
speaking and listening, can be reached with the help of interactive approaches that will allow
involving learners in the meaningful conversation. Research also shows that collaborative
practice could be applied to develop autonomy and motivational skills, since the learners will
be more accountable in progressing their individual aims as well as assist others in their
groups. Sayer and Ban (2014) assert that these collaborative opportunities can be expanded
into the digital realm with the help of chat groups and video conferencing tools, which means
that students can regularly interact with each other or even continue communication with
students abroad. An analogous approach to using digital devices along with peer interaction
can allow a learner to create an inclusive set of skills combining listening, speaking, reading,
and writing in a natural and socially applicable context.
Learners Perceptions on Language Learning Beyond the Class Room
Research work by Richards, (2015) made a significant contribution to the
understanding or learners, and sometimes teachers’ perceptions of the out of class language
learning. This is through the exploration of the relationship between contexts of the in-class
and out of class models. Wong and Nunan, (2011) also investigated the perceptions of
learners in the out-of-class learning experiences through individual interviews that involved
the undergraduates in Hong Kong University. While the learners reported that in-class was a
significant component of the language learning ecology despite the passiveness, it provided
some basics of the language. The learners, however, provided the observation that the out-of-
class learning is great fun and is helpful in the understanding of how the language is used.
Out-of-class learning is motivational and holds the learners’ interest. The researchers used
computer applications that could create discussions concerning the issues that the students
encountered in class. They, the learners, also added that the out-of-class learning gave the
additional purpose to the in-class learning, which also helped them in perseverance on
language learning. Some of the outcomes include the confidence in language learning and the
LANGUAGE LEARNING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 10
associated enjoyment in learning while they could also choose the environments and sources
and guaranteed quality of learning.
The perceptions of learners about out-of-class language learning are also determined
by the level of autonomy and choice that learners are given. Research has indicated that when
students are left to choose on what to read or what to do during learning, they more often than
not claim to own their own learning process (Lai and Gu, 2011). As an example, one can
suggest using digital media like podcasts, web articles, or films in English which enables the
student to match their language activity to their interests that, in turn, enable a person to be
motivated and persistent. The fact that this autonomy opens up opportunities to the learners to
conduct self-directed practices which are largely lacking in a structured classroom setting and
this autonomy is important as pointed out by Richards (2015). Wong and Nunan (2011) also
note that the flexibility of learning out of the classroom is appreciated by the students because
it enables them to relate the objectives of academic activities with their real-world
communication situations. Finally, the feedback of the perceptions of independence,
personalization, and enjoyment complement each other, and learning outside the classroom
becomes a significant continuation of formal learning (Lai and Gu, 2011; Richards, 2015;
Wong and Nunan, 2011).
The other major perception formed by learners is that learning in the out of class room
promotes social connection which improves competence as well as confidence. Peer
interactions, online groups, and even international speakers provide the students with diverse
linguistic stimuli and the cultural background, thereby extending their knowledge of the role
language plays in the real world (Sayer and Ban, 2014). This exposure soothes anxiety and
instils confidence in the spontaneous use of the language to many, which is normally hard to
accomplish in well-structured classes. According to Wong and Nunan (2011), such
experiences are enjoyable to the learners as they are incorporated in real world, daily
communication instead of abstract learning activities. Richards (2015), on the other hand,
holds that positive attitudes of learners to these interactions are attributed to their feeling of
progress and enjoyment that eventually perpetuate the long-term engagement. All these
perceptions support the assumption that out-of-class experiences, on the contrary, are central
to communicative competence development (Richards, 2015; Wong and Nunan, 2011; Sayer
and Ban, 2014).
Inference
LANGUAGE LEARNING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 11
In virtually all fields, learning is enhanced whenever it takes place outside of the
classroom and more so communication and discussion among learners and other stakeholders
take place. The discussions review of the literature on learning of language outside of a
classroom setting and including the challenge that may occur within institutions as they try
providing language lessons and learning environment. Learning keeps changing and having
various directions and strategies to ensure it is successful and in learning the second language
there are dimensions that go beyond what happens inside a classroom. It is within this natural
selection that the students are able to listen and comprehend information while retaining most
of it and being able to connect it with what the speakers talk about. Language learning
beyond the classroom offers the learners the opportunity to become knowledgeable by way of
practice, repetition and association especially where they are able to associate with the native
speakers of the native language. Classroom-based learning is also quite limited due to the
restrictions of particular affordances and opportunities. They also consist of differing
discourse within the literary practices as the learners activate the language in the authentic
contexts and also develop the communicative repertoires in acquiring language skills, which
they could not have acquired during classroom learning.
The necessity of the classroom can then be brought to question since it has been
observed that despite the worthy input and value addition a class has on learning a language,
it can never be enough and may not be capable to bring out the full potential of the student in
light with achieving the functional applications of a language. This has led to a lot of
argument where people take a stand of for or against the observation. The out-of-class
projects are thus essential in incorporating the language learning programs so that the thought
of having out-of-class learning just as a way for language activation and deployment, which
was learned in class. Outside of the classroom, however, the students must function in an
environment that is risky and requires them to engage in language through less predictability.
The out-of-class function has to be autonomous and has no guidance and support of the
teacher and the textbooks. They have to also participate and the authentic interactions and can
receive some brutal and honest feedback should they fail to communicate.
Critical Commentary
It is possible to achieve the basic level of proficiency in a classroom setting but it is
the out of class language learning that plays the important role to enable learners to achieve
the highest proficiency. Also, there are special functions and rationale that can provide a safe
environment for learners and in many instances predictable routines of language. As such,
LANGUAGE LEARNING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 12
there is a need to define the setting as the arrangement for the language learning marked by
the location dimensions, the formality involved, the pedagogy and the control locus.
Interactions are the most important and useful method to learn the language. The foreign
language students are able to use dialogue journals to give input to the students and allow
them to generate the individual output in the target language as compared to the English ones
for the development of language skills. Learners also participate in a multiplicity of activities
whenever outside of the classroom and characterize that associate with the good learning
outcomes and grades create the relationship for the quality of the out of class activities and
the acquired outcomes. The students also experience language immersion, which is the
approach to a foreign language where the learner is in the language setting and context and
everything around them happens in the foreign language which they must have to learn.
During the interactions, which may require learners to live together, they have the
opportunity to improve their learning and language skills and their understanding of the
various cultures in a stress-free setting that is also social in nature
Challenges of Language Learning in my Institution’s Language
Department
Recent research and studies data show that many challenges are faced by teachers in
institutions as they teach English to young learners. Depending on the educational contexts,
teachers face difficulties in teaching and speaking, motivation, differentiating learning,
teaching and managing large classes, motivation and modes for teaching grammar and
writing (Aleksandrzak, 2011). There are also challenges such as the development of teacher
competence and qualification. Even with the existing criticism on the available methods, the
techniques and the technology-based resources, speaking is perceived to be the most
fundamental skill that one needs to acquire.
My institution encounters the following challenges
1. A large Number of Students
A large number of students in my school in Guangzhou as an institution of learning
English as a second language in a single classroom, there is an inhibition in the teaching and
learning. Some teachers have resulted into using technology such as the assigning of media
like movies to ensure that students learn the language beyond the classroom, which due to
large numbers distributing these materials to all students remains costly. Harmer (2013)
suggests that the identification of the right media content to serve such a large population
LANGUAGE LEARNING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 13
becomes a challenge. Research shows that the number of learners keeps increasing every year
while this might not have a parallel increase in the number of teachers and the infrastructure.
The crowded classes make it hard for the teachers to deliver effectively especially on
communication matters.
2. Lack of support from the parents
The biggest challenge with teaching children English in China especially out of the
classroom is the lack of reinforcement from the parents outside the school setting. Most of the
parents in China for instance, the majority of them speak Chinese only which makes it hard
for them to give the children the support in learning English. Harmer (2013), states that
parents’ engagement plays a key role in their children’s education because families, parents
and caregivers at home are primary and the most important teachers of a child. Therefore,
when this primary and most important support is missing, the child lacks the necessary
reinforcement that the parent has on the child’s learning process. This makes it hard for most
children to learn English as a second language in my institution.
3. Lack of supporting materials by students from poor backgrounds
Poverty in some families has made it hard for their children to learn English effectively.
Some of the supporting materials in use in my school include laptops and smartphones which
students can use to watch and listen to the movies and other clips and media that the school
offers as a way of extending their English learning experiences to the home setting.
Unfortunately, most parents cannot afford these gadgets which means their children lack the
opportunity provided by the school. According to Copland, Garton and Burns (2014) say that
learning English through movies enables learners to learn the language the way people speak
unlike written materials such as a book. Hearing fosters faster learning unlike reading.
Therefore, children from poor families lack the crucial contributions made by movies.
2 Speaking English at Home
In teaching foreign languages, speaking is a big challenge. The common focus is on
getting the learners to speak in English since many may be reluctant to speak in front of their
peers or even at home since it is face-threatening (Sayer & Ban, 2014). In my school,
teachers strive in making the classroom become English only by making the learners
communicate in English. However, outside the classroom, the students are heavily influenced
by their first language making it difficult to teach them hard to grasp the pronunciation. Sayer
& Ban, (2014) observes that criticism also exists outside the classroom which becomes
LANGUAGE LEARNING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 14
frustrating to them. The problems in speaking can also be intensified by the high usage of too
much self-monitoring processes where the leaners tend to create utterances in their native or
other slang that may contribute to their lack of proper comprehension of the target language.
3 Student’s Poor Personality and Attitude
In my institution, learning English out of the class can be difficult because of the
student’s individual personality and attitude that bring about problems with the learning
method and process especially during learning to speak. The personalities affecting these
methods include inhibition which is the fear to make mistake, lose face and get criticized in
front of or by the other students. Learners sometimes lack something to say since they may
lack the motives to speech or the formulating of opinions and in making comments
(Lehtonen, 2017). Therefore, these learners become less motivated and they tend to use
mother tongue. Despite being a challenge to make students learn outside the classroom,
Observations from the teachers have also indicated that problems described occurring in the
language classes irrespective of the aptitude levels and the number of learners in the group.
Kumar, (2015) observed that every learner comes to the learning and communicating
environment with their entire personality as it is shaped by previous experiences in learning
and communication, and they may include both the negative and positive ones. Therefore, the
attitudes they have toward the language in class intensifies outside of the class.
4. Limited Time Allocation for English Learning
The other primary problem in my institution is insufficient time allocated in the
curriculum to English. English is commonly taught in Guangzhou in a few hours a week and
this is not enough to enable the learners get expertise in all four areas of skills which include
listening, speaking, reading and writing. This limitation of time makes teachers unable to give
students a reasonable exposure to the language in the classroom (Richards, 2015).
Consequently, a lot of learning pressure is loaded in an out of classroom setting where not
every student is in an equally advantaged condition. It has been argued that a language should
learn through consistent and persistent practice and brief and repeated lessons do not provide
time to practice and receive reinforcement (Wong and Nunan, 2011). Thus, the students
cannot accumulate the required level of fluency and confidence in the process of real-world
communication until they receive enough time spent in the classroom, without which their
development inside and outside the classroom will be impaired (Sayer and Ban, 2014).
5. Overreliance on Examination-Oriented Learning
LANGUAGE LEARNING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 15
The education culture in China has also posed an obstacle to the effective learning of
the English language through examination culture. The majority of students and parents
consider English as a subject to be just passed during the standardized tests and not a means
of communication and personal development. Such a viewpoint is the response that usually
makes learners focus more on memorising a grammar system and set of vocabulary rather
than acquiring effective speaking and listening (Copland, Garton and Burns, 2014). Teachers
are not an exception because they might be forced to emphasise on test preparation to the
lesser of communicative activities which would improve real life language use. As Harmer
(2013) ascertains, by lowering the extent of language performance to the extent of testing, the
learning process is lowered in the motivation of students and the worthiness of practices
outside the classroom is diminished. This test-based mentality does not allow learners to gain
full enjoyment of English is a living language and severely diminishes the power of
classroom-added learning (Richards, 2015; Harmer, 2013; Copland, Garton and Burns,
2014).
Recommendations for Change in My Institution’s Language Department
Since the institution already has an on-going operational method, strategy and
approach used in teaching the English language the following recommendation center on
focusing on the modern learner by more of incorporation of the information and
communication technologies. The educators must then educate and embrace ICT in the effort
to create a better environment for student learning and for presenting their challenges. This is
based on the understanding that millennials form the highest number of current students, and
it is common knowledge that they spend a lot of their time online and with the gadgets.
Having understood the learner characteristics it is recommended for the institutions and
teachers realize implements the following;
1. The department’s systems need to engage effectively with the learners and the school
systems and be outfitted with the necessary ICT resources. The curricula must thus
promote and help collaborate the learner-centered environment where the students are
able to relate and can respond. In so doing, the learning environment becomes
friendly to the learner since its customization will be based on their recommendations.
It will also help in changing the student’s negative attitudes towards the languages.
2. The educators, especially the older ones should not resist technology but should adapt
quickly enough to avoid feeling intimidated by the student knowledge and
understanding. Copland, Garton and Burns (2014) state that the resistance from the
LANGUAGE LEARNING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 16
faculty could lead to ineffective deliverance of the assistance that the students require.
This also affects the attitudes of the learner towards the language since the teacher
should be the motivator of the student in the learning process.
3. Professional development among teacher and educators should be emphasized and
developed and the institutions employing them should value this. According to Herrel
and Jordan (2011) asserts that workforce development should be employed in the
schools to ensure that the professional development needs of the teachers are met
which in turn translates to improved delivery of the student’s needs. It encourages an
equips the teachers with the necessary skills in delivering the needs of the language to
the student. In the end, a better department that meets and motivates the student in
learning English as a second language is established.
4. Syllabus redesigning: Re-designing of the syllabus will allow it to deliver on the
teaching objective. This will depend on factors such as the level and age of learners,
the context of learning and the teaching aim. According to Grau and Legutke, (2015),
the syllabus needs to define the emphasis that would be given to speaking and the
type of course to be formed so that one may consider whether there is a need to teach
speaking separately or integrate it with the teaching of other skills. Also, the
institutions, and by extension the teachers, may find it difficult to come up with an
approach that is capable of defining the teaching procedure. The teacher may find it
essential to choose between task-based approach and genre-based approach or
combines both of them. This approach is important in designing the course process
and has it influencing the elements of learning as a process that should be progressive
in nature. This will ensure that the syllabus is multi-layered to ensure that there are
specific targets when it comes to learning the speaking skills and teaching them as a
necessary part of the grammar and the components of vocabulary.
5. Gamification of the learning process: Gamification of the process of learning a new
language can best help in ensuring that the children grasp the new words used in the
game. Therefore, one of the best ways of encouraging the children in my school
especially those in grade one to eight could be providing educative computer and
smartphone games that will improve their language skills. Herrel and Jordan (2011)
state creating games for the children in English will allow them that to learn the new
words as well as breaking the monotony of the traditional class setting. It promotes
learning in an effortless manner because through these games, an opportunity is
provided to the learner to practice the language in a direct way. It also simulates a
LANGUAGE LEARNING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 17
discussion in the target language that can enable the student to learn the language
faster.
6. Intensify oral English learning processes: What could be done to achieve this is to
emphasize more on teaching the students how to speak the language rather than how
to write it. A larger proportion of time allocated for the language should be dedicated
to ensuring that the student practice speaking the language rather than just writing and
correcting grammar mistakes in texts. According to Herrel and Jordan (2011),
speaking the language gives the student the confidence which is quite useful in the
academic discourses. In doing so, the teachers will be able to help the students
become more concerned and aware of the functions of the language as well as the
diverse modes of communication.
Personal Suggestions and recommendation to focus on the approach used during teaching,
a. Material support: Since most of the students come from the poor families where
accessing gadgets such as laptops and smartphones is not easy, then the school should
liaise with local authorities as well as the relevant government institutions to provide
the students with an opportunity to access the gadgets outside of the school.
b. Use of communicative approach: This is where the teachers give the students more
than having them merely knowing about the production of grammatically correct
sentences (Herrel & Jordan, 2011). The students need to learn how to communicate in
the appropriate, natural, and socially accepted style, and in the different contexts of
communication that emphasize language practice, the learner involvement, speech
fluency and relationship building and cooperation. This will make the students
competent and confident in using the English outside of the classroom.
c. The educators may also use the situational approach, which allows them to make the
teaching and learning the language quite natural, realistic and meaningful through the
teaching of structural pattern and the vocabulary in many situations (Herrel & Jordan,
2011). In this approach, the student is able to practice structure and meaning while at
the same time build content words and vocabulary. This will require adequate
planning by the teacher in the bid to create the appropriate situations by which
language can be taught and for providing the meaningful materials.
d. The use of Self-Access Centers: The use of the self-access centers is important when
learning a second or tertiary language. (Calderon & Slakk, 2018). In this case, the
schools should ensure that there are such centers that will provide the necessary
LANGUAGE LEARNING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 18
education for the students while out of school. For instance, the establishment of such
centers will ensure that the students get access to materials that are limited only to the
classroom setting. These include things to read such as easy readers, CDs among
other supplementary exercises that will equip them with English speaking skills.
There should be also some materials to listen to as well as exam practices that will
help them assess their English skills.
e. Parents should Learn English: Since the parent is the first teacher for a child, learning
the languages that the schools advocate for is the best way to help the child. Calderon
and Slakk (2018) state that this is because it is the best way toward building the
child’s positive attitude toward the language. Therefore, the English department at my
school should urge the parents that, at home, they can identify governmental or non-
governmental English learning centers to learn English alongside their children. This
could be the best solution to the English speaking problem among the majority of the
children in the institution.
f. Listen to English radio programs: the best way to learn a language is to listen to it
more than reading it. Calderon and Slakk (2018) articulate that there is a very
significant difference in regard to learning a given language and getting exposed to it.
Therefore, through the school, the parents should be urged to play a significant role in
ensuring that their children are exposed to English. One of the methods that could be
applied in this case is through listening to English radio stations. Children will be
exposed to the language which according to Calderon and Slakk (2018), learning a
language at an early stage through listening to sound as well as its rhythm is better
than the explicit instructions given in a class setting.
g. Teaching values that come with learning English: The schools as well as the parents
should teach the students that learning English is an important aspect towards one’s
success in education. Since the student’s attitude is the biggest issue with the students
in my institution, then teaching them the core values of L2 is an important thing.
Calderon and Slakk (2018) assert that this will ensure that they will not face criticism
whenever they speak the language in the presence of their peers which is always the
key challenge towards learning a new language. It will also encourage students to
speak the language outside of the classroom given them an opportunity to practice
their spoken English in an interactive setting.
LANGUAGE LEARNING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 19
h. Technology in Learning: The school needs to use technology more, and this should be
achieved by using cheaper and easily accessible applications that encourage the use of
English. The gap can be bridged using mobile learning resources and online
platforms, including interactive vocabulary and grammar apps and language exchange
platforms (Richards, 2015). These are flexible platforms whereby the students can
learn at their own pace besides accessing the real materials which include podcasts
and online discussion forums. Lai and Zheng (2018) state that incorporation of
technology into the language education can not only lead to greater access to available
resources but also greater motivation to learners and their engagement. Thus, the
school should make sure that students and educators are prepared to utilize digital
tools and that it will enhance personalized learning and make it more approachable
(Richards, 2015; Lai and Zheng, 2018; Wong and Nunan, 2011).
i. Promoting Collaboration and Study Groups among Peers: Peer-based study groups in
school and out of school will enable the learners to express themselves in English
using the interactive learning tool. Role-plays, group discussions, and peer tutoring
will ensure that students have the chance to break the shyness and inhibition and
improve their speaking and listening abilities (Sayer and Ban, 2014). The ability to
make mistakes and experiment with new words requires less time to feel more
comfortable and confident in using new words when dealing with peers, thereby
enhancing fluency and confidence. As pointed by Wong and Nunan (2011), such
collaborative practices also contribute to autonomy and responsibility of learners
since they are motivated to ensure that learners improve. Finally, the peer
collaboration can be organized in such a way that it seems like a natural and pleasant
extension of classroom work to the life realm to continue to be motivated and
consistent in practice (Sayer and Ban, 2014; Wong and Nunan, 2011; Richards, 2015).
Conclusion
Since my institution is located in a country where English is a tertiary language, it has
encountered many challenges in the bid to try and teach the English language to the students
especially outside the classroom. The teachers face difficulties in teaching and speaking,
motivation, differentiating learning, teaching and managing large classes, motivation and
modes for teaching grammar and writing. Some of these challenges involve having large
classes, the emphasis on written than oral skills, and the interaction patterns within the
LANGUAGE LEARNING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 20
classroom. Outside the classroom enhancement of English language taught in my institution
has been a problem. Most of the students lack the necessary support from the parents, they
lack supporting materials, some are affected by negative attitudes towards the language while
others are just lazy. Speaking can be a challenge due to the effect of reluctance on speaking
lest the learner may feel ashamed in front of peers. Institutions may fail to impact proper
attitude on language learning among the students. Such conditions hence require changes and
the recommendation show an increased need for ICT knowledge among the teachers and the
needs to foster changes in the teaching approaching that would motivate and enhance
language understanding. Gaining a support from the parents, teaching the children the
importance of English as a second language, using reinforcement materials such as laptops,
gamification of the teaching process among the various recommendations will improve the
teaching and learning processes. I am confident that these recommendations will help the
school in ensuring that the students are motivated towards learning the language not only in
the classroom setting but also outside of the classroom.
The problem of teaching English as a third language in tertiary level needs to be
approached holistically and collaboratively, including the teachers, learners, parents, and the
rest of the community. Though it is the base-level classroom teaching that sets the
foundation, the transition of learning to the real world situations that defines the ultimate
success of the language acquisition. According to scholars, the key to acquiring proficiency
and confidence should rely on meaningful interaction, authentic practice, and learner
autonomy (Richards, 2015; Wong and Nunan, 2011; Sayer and Ban, 2014). Thus, the school
should set its priorities, such as focusing on the strategies fostering the communication, using
technology, and encouraging positive attitude to English as not only to academic but also an
important life skill. Through the concerted efforts of teachers in nurturing the demanding
teaching strategies, parents in the home environment in providing reinforcement, and the
learner in taking up the avenues of practicing the language, the institution may turn learning
of language to be a process that not only becomes a classroom necessity but a socio-cultural
experience as well.
LANGUAGE LEARNING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 21
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