Hello there, this time I'm sharing a vignette to illustrate Arikan's (2011) view on passive learners and teacher centred teaching.

VIGNETTE

A class of 22 students at a private school. Mrs. Vera delivers a class about prepositions of movement, strictly following the textbook. She shows some posters, and has students completing exercises on the book. They exchange views, having peer feedback. The problem arises when they have to draw a map and write directions on their folders. A group of students starts asking the teacher why they did not try this activity on their laptops, designing maps online and creating a web which would be part of a game. The rest of the class is really eager to try the experience, and seems excited about the idea. Unfortunately, Mrs. Vera is not technology-friendly and feels afraid of getting lost. She tells students “Ok, next class”. Students complain about always postponing internet activities. Disappointed gazes along the classroom. The ring bells. As explained by Arikan (2011), students continue to be passive learners who learn through teacher-centered activities.

Reference

Arikan, A. (2011). A Small-Scale Study of Primary School English Language Teachers’ Classroom Activities and Problems. 2nd International conference on new trends in education and their implications, 27-29 April, 2011. Retrieved from http://www.iconte.org/FileUpload/ks59689/File/053.pdf.