Increasing Motivation: Introduction of MI

MÁSTER EN FORMACIÓN DEL PROFESORADO DE
EDUCACIÓN SECUNDARIA OBLIGATORIA, BACHILLERATO,
FORMACIÓN PROFESIONAL Y ENSEÑANZAS DE IDIOMAS.
Increasing Motivation: Introduction of MIbased Activities into EFL Reading Classes
TRABAJO FIN DE MÁSTER. CURSO: 2011 - 2012
ESPECIALIDAD: LENGUA INGLESA
APELLIDOS Y NOMBRE DEL AUTOR/A: BRAZINSKAITE RUTA
DNI: X6573932-A
CONVOCATORIA: JUNIO 2012
TUTOR/A: ESTHER SÁNCHEZ-PARDO
FACULTAD DE FILOLOGÍA (DEPTO. FILOLOGÍA INGLESA II)
FECHA: 30/05/2012
1 CONTENTS
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QUESTIONNAIRES
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2 1. Abstract
Teaching language through reading classes in secondary schools is still not a very
widespread activity. Nevertheless, in Spain, incorporating such classes into the syllabus
is becoming a growing tendency in EFL teaching as far as private and chart schools are
concerned. Thus, students are expected not only to increase their language proficiency
levels, but also to develop different skills and competences necessary for the functioning
in our globalized and knowledge-based society. In order to achieve these objectives and
PDNHWKHSURFHVVRIOHDUQLQJDVSURGXFWLYHDVSRVVLEOHVWXGHQWV¶SRVLWLYHSUHGLVSRVLWLRQ
and interest in EFL classes need to be reinforced.
With this research I aimed to examine to what extent changing the nature of EFL reading
classes altogether by including diverse activities, based on multiple intelligences (MI),
FRXOG LQFUHDVH VWXGHQWV¶ PRWLYDWLRQ1 My objective here, thus, was to see whether
DWWHQGLQJ WR GLIIHUHQW VWXGHQWV¶ SURILOHV E\ XVLQJ WH[W DV D EDVH WR H[SDQG RQ DQG DOVR
practice multiple skills, not only reading, would help students to become more
enthusiastic and, consequently, participative in EFL classes.
For this purpose, a number of activities related to MI, were designed to help students
become more actively engaged with the text used in class, Rainforests.2 These activities
were used with 26 students during a five-week period in order to check whether any
significant positive changes could be detected in terms of their attitudes. Based on the
data obtained from my observation, pre and post-questionnaires filled by the students,
interviews carried out with teachers, findings of this study prove my initial hypothesis and
show that working with tasks, that involve the use of MI, increases studentV¶PRWLYDWLRQ
In addition, being able to develop different skills, students become more participative and
they show more interest, which helps them to take better advantage of EFL reading
classes.
2. KEYWORDS: EFL reading classes, different skills and abilities, multiple intelligences
(MI), key competences, MI-based activities, interest, motivation, participation, different
classroom dynamics
1 7HUPµ()/UHDGLQJFODVVHV¶LVLQWHUFKDQJHGDWODWHUVWDJHVWKURXJKRXWWKHSDSHUZLWKµ()/
reading-EDVHGFODVVHV¶DQGµ0,-EDVHGFODVVHV¶UHIHUULQJWRWKHFKDQJHGQDWXUHRIDFWLYLWLHVLQ
relation to these classes. Whereas the latter terms are used to denominate the specific
classes that include MI-EDVHGDFWLYLWLHVWKHWHUPµ()/UHDGLQJFODVVHV¶LVXVHGZKHQPDNLQJ
more general references, e.g., talking about classes focused on text-reading without bearing
in mind any specific context or particular adaptation of tasks to MI.
2 Akinyemi, R. (Ed.) (2008). Rainforests. Oxford University Press: Oxford
3 3. Introduction
3.1. Interest of the Topic
English classes dedicated specifically to reading are still rather rare to find in Spanish
secondary schools because of a couple of reasons. First of all, with the purpose of
helping students pass rather rigid final examinations (Selectividad), in most schools, EFL
classes tend to be focused on more technical aspects of language related to traditional
teaching methods with an emphasis on grammar. In addition, due to limited time that can
be dedicated to English and other subjects, there seems to be no space for this sort of
specific classes, benefits of which are hard to evaluate in short-term instruction period.
Therefore,
advantages
of
non-traditional
reading-based
classes
are
often
undersestimated by disregarding the opportunity of teaching EFL linguistic knowledge
alongside other competences, crucial in nowadays society. Nevertheless, in bilingual
schools, there seems to be a growing awareness of the necessity of preparing more
versatile student profiles with great English language skills; therefore, it is becoming
more common to amplify English teaching programs by including EFL reading classes.
%LOLQJXDO HGXFDWLRQ DLPV WR GHYHORS VWXGHQWV¶ DELOLW\ WR FRPPXQLFDWH LQ D YDULHW\ RI
contexts enabling them to interact freely in all kinds of situations. Accordingly, EFL
reading classes are intended to provide students with opportunities to deal with
contextualised language and thus not only to enhance their knowledge of English, but
also help to acquire and develop other cross-curricular knowledge and skills by engaging
with contents of texts to be used.
Bearing in mind all said above, a question arises: how can EFL reading classes, as
complementary to other EFL classes, be taken full advantage of, so that students could
learn as much as possible? To find an answer to this question, a crucial factor, which
has the power of affecting for either better or worse both learning and knowledge
acquisition, should be taken into consideration.
7KH WHUP µPRWLYDWLRQ¶ FRPHV IURP WKH /DWLQ ZRUG movere (to move), defining it as a
process implying effort rather than a set product. Pintrich & Schunk (2006) parallel
motivation WR D µJRDO-GLUHFWHG¶ DFWLYLW\ ZKLFK PXVW EH FRQVWDQWO\ LQFLWHG DQG XSKROGHG.
Nowadays, it is widely known that motivation plays a crucial part in the process of
teaching and learning in general. On the one hand, motivated teachers strive to do what
is in their hands to help students learn more efficiently and productively; therefore, they
tend to spend more time on lesson planning and also on adapting their methodology
4 according to their students´ needs. On the other hand, motivated students are likely to
try out different strategies to learn according to their individual needs, they tend to show
more interest in activities, make continuous effort to succeed and persist in their
progress. Hence, if and when motivation decreases, learning process can be seen
affected, but also results and outcomes are likely to suffer. Hence, it is crucial that
teachers not only manage to pass their knowledge to students in relation to the subjecttaught itself, but also create and maintain a motivating environment for learning. As
Steinmayr and Spinath point out:
Hope for success, on the one hand, is associated with positive emotions
and the belief to succeed. Fear of failure, on the other hand, is related to
negative emotions and the fear that the achievement situation is out of
RQH¶VGHSWK7KHEDODQFHRIWKHVHWZRPRWLYHVLVWKRXJKWWRGHWHUPLQHWKH
direction, intensity, and quality of achievement-related behaviour.
(Steinmayr & Spinath 2009: 81)
Constant reviews and changes in terms of EFL teaching, as far as the National
Curriculum is concerned, show the need for both improving and trying out new strategies
to be used in classrooms, in order to enhance more productive learning and, thus,
achieve higher proficiency levels. Deciding which method to use and how to make it
work in a specific context, so that all students could take full advantage of it according to
their possibilities, is not as easy as it might seem at first sight due to the fact that every
individual processes information differently. Therefore, getting motivated individuals with
different personalities to engage with studying EFL is as difficult. It is even more so when
classes heavily based on reading in a foreign language ± such as conventional EFL
reading classes ± are concerned, as they imply the use of one specific skill that might
not be likeable to all the students equally. In addition, unless one has rather high
proficiency levels in English, it might be sometimes hard or even frustrating to follow both
WKHVWRU\OLQHDQGDWWHQGWRWKHODQJXDJHDWWKHVDPHWLPHE\µGHFLSKHULQJ¶LW, in order to
understand what one is reading about. Drawing on this, it could be assumed that reading
texts in class in a traditional way, neither favours the engagement with the theme treated
nor allows one to make use of different skills, thus preventing some students from
becoming more motivated and actively engaged with both language and content in EFL
reading classes. In order to change this state of affairs and help students take more
advantage of reading-based sessions, a different approach should be adopted as far as
teaching methodology is concerned in order to suit the needs of various student profiles.
5 3.2. Relevance to the Teaching Profession
Even though throughout the history of human beings uncountable changes have taken
place affecting different communities and their members, never had human life
experienced such rapid and life-changing evolution in relation to knowldege-processing
as it has during five last decades. The world has been revolutionized by the
unprecedented development and growth of new technologies, and so have we. Thus, it
could be said that, increased and improved possibilities for research and investigation
expanded the way we understand the surrounding world. In addition, the integration of
technological advancements has also affected the way we function both as separate
individuals and societies as a whole. Inevitably, teaching and learning have also evolved.
Based on the fact that nowadays we live in a very competitive knowledge-based
community with growing demands in terms of preparedness for globalized job markets,
nowadays one of the main objectives of teaching institutions is to enhance the efficiency
of learning-teaching process by drawing on the development of skills and competences
required. This need is also supported by most European educational policies.
After the creation of the European Union, connecting a large number of nations with
different languages and systems of functioning, need for a point of reference and, thus,
more fluid communication led to the foundation of The Common European Framework of
Reference for Languages (CEF).3 Consequently, the Common European Framework of
Reference, with the aim of providing a common basis for all language learners in modern
educational context, elaborated a strategic plan for the Member Nations to base on, as
far as language syllabuses and teaching programmes were concerned. Furthermore, as
an outcome of the joint work of the European Council and the European parliament, on
the 18th December 2006, European Framework for Key Competences for Lifelong
Learning was adopted, identifying the key competences that need to be acquired by
HYHU\FLWL]HQIRUµVXFFHVVIXOSDUWLFLSDWLRQLQVRFLHW\¶:4
Key competences represent a transferable, multifunctional package of
knowledge, skills and attitudes that all individuals need for personal
fulfilment and development, inclusion and employment. These should have
3
CEFR. (2001). Common European Framework of Reference for Language Teaching: Learning,
Teaching, Assessment. Strasburg: Cambridge University Press.
4
European Council. The Key Competences for Lifelong Learning ± A European Framework
annex (2006). The Official Journal of the European Union. L394
6 been developed by the end of compulsory schooling or training, and should
act as a foundation for further learning as part of lifelong learning.5
Even though the competences defined in the CEF, serving the purpose of preparing
competent and dynamic citizens, were not intended to create obligations for the Member
States of the EU, their adaptation was encouraged to improve national educational
policies.6 In case of Spain, in line with Ley Orgánica de Educación (LOE),7 the key
competences were adapted as µFRPSHWHQFLDVEiVLFDV¶DQGWKH\ZHUHVSHFLILHGLQ%2(
in the following way (BOE):8
1) Competence in linguistic communication
2) Mathematical competence
3) Knowledge of and interaction with the physical world
4) Information processing and digital competence
5) Competence in social skills and citizenship
6) Cultural and artistic competence
7) Learning to learn
8) Autonomy and personal initiative
Despite the fact that each subject taught in both primary and secondary schools includes
specific reference to the competence most associated with the area (for example,
mathematics-mathematical competence, EFL ± competence in linguistic communication,
etc.), as both the C.E.F.R. and, specifically, the LOE imply, all the key competences are
generic and meant to fulfil cross-curricular objectives. As a result, throughout their
education, students are supposed to practice different strategies in all the subject areas
so as to develop all the key competences to their full potential of every individual.9
EFL classes are no exception, as far as the objectives of curriculum are concerned.
Therefore, in EFL classes, students should gain not only linguistic knowledge, but also
improve other cross-curricularly adaptable skills and, thus, get approximated (as much
as it is possible in classroom environment) to some real-world situations. According to
5
,PSOHPHQWDWLRQRI³(GXFDWLRQDQG7UDLQLQJ´:RUN3URJUDPPH (2010) Progress
progress report of the European Commission Expert on key competences, their framework
and foreign language teaching.
http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/2010/doc/basicframe.pdf
6
Ibid., p.2
7
Ley Orgánica de Educación (LOE) 2/2006, 3 MAY
http://www.boe.es/aeboe/consultas/bases_datos/doc.php?id=BOE-A-2006-7899
8
Boletín Oficial del Estado, Enseñanzas Mínimas 2007, 5 JANUARY
9
Ibid.
7 what BOE (Boletín Oficial del Estado) 2007 5th January states, reading must constitute
one of the core-basis for the acquisition of key competences.10 Therefore, in line with the
law, EFL reading classes, just like other subjects, should serve the purpose of providing
various opportunities for the latter.
Although the National Curriculum requires that in all subjects students should use
different strategies in order to develop a number of abilities, as I could observe in the
school where I was doing my practicum, this objective was not met in EFL reading
classes. In relation to this particular teaching institution, as I was informed, EFL reading
classes had been included into English teaching syllabus three years ago in order to fulfil
the objectives of the bilingual project Beda that the school is involved in.11
According to the information that I was given, before the start of every new course,
books to be read in EFL classes are always selected by the English Coordination
Department depending on the themes that are chosen to be dealt with, in accordance
with the key competences to be developed, and, also, in agreement with the publishing
houses. Bearing in mind the reason for the inclusion of EFL reading classes into the
VFKRRO¶V (QJOLVK WHDFKLQJ SURJUDPPH WKH FODVVHV DUH PHDQW WR IXOILO QRW RQO\ WKH
function of teaching English language through the use of different texts, but also of
developing other skills and competences necessary in oXU QRZDGD\V¶ VRFLHW\
established by the LOE.12 Moreover, as I have previously mentioned, topics that the
chosen books deal with play a crucial role in selection of texts for each course and level,
DVLWLVH[SHFWHGWKDWWKH\FDQGHYHORSVWXGHQWV¶FULWLFDODnd analytical thinking. However,
three years since the implementation EFL reading classes in this school, it is still unclear
how the established objectives are supposed to be achieved, as none of the teachers
gets formal instruction as to how address the given texts in order to accomplish all the
cross-curricular aims.
As I could observe during the practicum period and also based on the information that I
received by interviewing the teachers, EFL reading classes in this school tend to follow
the same routine as far as different levels and techniques applied by all the teachers are
concerned. During one month and a half of my observation of four different classes,
students read the selected texts in a linear way aloud during all the sessions; mostly,
only volunteers taking active participation by reading out one paragraph each. They were
10
BOE (Artículo 7, p.680)
BEDA
http://www.ecmadrid.org/beda/index.html 12
See footnote 8
11
8 DVNHG WR VWRS UHDGLQJ DIWHU HDFK SDUDJUDSK DIWHUZDUG WHDFKHUV ZRXOG PDNHV µZK-µ
questions in relation to what had been read - as far as contents of the book were
concerned. Again, only volunteers participated and, generally, they were bound to be the
same. After thus checking text-comprehension with questions, the activity of reading was
continued by other students. This kind of routine was repeated throughout all the EFL
reading sessions.
It seemed that only a small part of the students from the groups that I observed were
benefiting from EFL reading classes, as levels of participation were rather low.
Moreover, taking into account a rather monotonous routine of these sessions and the
UHSHWLWLYHQHVV RI WZR WDVNV UHSHDWHG WKURXJKRXW UHDGLQJ DORXG DQG DQVZHULQJ µZK-µ
questions), I noticed that the objectives, established by the LOE and supported by the
VFKRRO¶V V\OODEXV RI developing the key competences, were not accomplished. Bearing
all this in mind, I deduced that the unwillingness to participate, as far as the majority of
the students were concerned, could be attributed to the lack of motivation both in relation
to the activities used in class as such and also the purpose of the latter. Focused on a
rather narrow principle of knowledge-transmission, EFL reading classes seemed to be
failing in attending the diversity of students. They did not provide opportunities for the
practice of other skills (that some students could have felt more comfortable with).
Moreover, development of different competences that could be useful in real-life
situations and a more thorough engagement, from a critical and analytical points of view
with the topics dealt, were also missing. Bearing in mind all this, I assumed that one of
WKHFRUHSUREOHPVUHVSRQVLEOHIRUVWXGHQWV¶ORZPRWLYDWLRQDQGSDUWLFLSDWLRQFRXOGEHWKH
nature of EFL reading classes themselves and the way they were carried out, which
needed to be changed in order to obtain more possible results. Thus, the main rationale
behind my intervention was to suggest and try out a different approach to EFL readingbased classes, by applying a method that could work on different key competence and,
consequently, make students more interested and participative as, thus, they could use
their different skills and abilities. After observing methodology used by two teachers in
EFL reading classes and bearing in mind the objectives of developing key competences
established by the curriculum, I thought that it was a good opportunity to change the
nature of text-based sessions by putting MI-based activities into practice.
$FFRUGLQJ WR *DUGQHU¶V Theory of Multiple Intelligences (1983), every human being is
capable of eight relatively independent forms of information processing, with each
individual differing in the prevalence of specific set of intelligences that they possess:
9 >«@ KXPDQ EHLQJ LV VR FRQVWLWXWHG DV WR EH VHQVLWLYH WR FHUWDLQ
informational content: when a particular form of information is presented,
various mechanisms is the nervous system are triggered to carry out
specific operations upon it. And from the repeated use of, elaboration of,
and interaction among these various computational devices, eventually
flow forms of knowledge that we woulGUHDGLO\WHUP³LQWHOlLJHQW´*DUGQHU
1983: 289-9)
According to the quotation above, due to the varying profiles, human beings approach
information and learn most productively in different ways, which renders the traditional
approach to teaching somewhat unfair and unproductive to many learners who have no
possibilities of using their specific intelligences in classroom environment. In line with
this, EFL reading classes implemented in a conventional way seemed to be making the
process of learning unappealing and demotivating for some students; moreover, very
few abilities were put into use thus preventing the students from developing key
competences. For this reason, new teaching techniques based on MI were tried out with
this study.
4. Objectives
The objectives that I pretended to reach with this research were the following:
-7RFKDQJHWKHQDWXUHRI()/UHDGLQJFODVVHVLQRUGHUWRLQFUHDVHWKHVWXGHQWV¶LQWHUHVW
Even though I maintained all sessions text-based, a number of different materials were
used to complement the text, Rainforests, with the hope of making classes more
appealing to the students.13 Teenagers tend to get bored rather easily, which sometimes
makes it difficult to keep them focused. Therefore, by making every session completely
different from one another with the use of varying activities, and also by changing
classroom dynamics in terms of grouping, with this experiment I aimed to influence the
VWXGHQWV¶ SUHGLVSRVLWLRQ WRZDUGV ()/ UHDGLQJ FODVVHV LQ D SRVLWLYH ZD\ In addition, a
number of different materials were used to accomplish the aim of making sessions as
dynamic as possible: pictures, video, audio, worksheets, blackboard, etcetera.
-To use text as a base to expand on. Even though my aim was to maintain EFL reading
classes, logically, text-focused, one of the main objectives in this experiment was to treat
WKHVXEMHFWVWKHPHVRIWKHWH[WXVHGLQPRUHGHSWKE\JRLQJµEH\RQG¶WKHP7KHUHIRUH
13
Akinyemi, R. (2008). Rainforests. Oxford Bookworms Stage 2. University Press: Madrid
10 students could approach both the text itself and its themes from a number of
perspectives, thus, making further reading comprehension easier. The text Rainforests,
dealing with quite serious environmental issues to be taken into consideration,
FRQVWLWXWHGDYHU\JRRGFKDQFHWREURDGHQWKHVWXGHQWV¶NQRZOHGJHDQGVHOI-awareness
in terms of human destruction. By using text not as the only valid source in EFL readingbased classes, but as the core of the topic to be analysed, students could profit by
expanding their understanding with more varied examples. Thus, they could, hopefully,
develop more interest not only in EFL reading-based classes, but also in the activity of
reading as such, by realizing that the latter could be both useful and pleasurable.
-To enhance the use of different skills in order to acquire and develop different
competences. EFL reading-based classes constitute a perfect chance for reinforcing the
use of various abilities that are necessary for the students in real-world situations. Due to
the fact that multiple intelligences are based on different skills, they could be seen as
rather closely associated the key competences. Thus, the objective of using MI-based
activities was not only to provide opportunities for practising EFL in meaningful and
useful ways, but also for developing cross-curricular competences and skills established
by both the Common European Framework and the Spanish Organic Law of Education
(LOE). 14
-To outline the benefits of using MI-based activities in L2 reading classes. This objective
was related not only to usefulness and necessity of acquiring and strengthening different
key competences, but also to making the process of teaching/learning more enjoyable
for everyone $V LW KDV EHHQ SUHYLRXVO\ RXWOLQHG VWXGHQWV¶ DWWLWXGHV WRZDUGV QHZ
knowledge are crucial for its processing and internalization; therefore, in classroom
environment students need to be as comfortable as possible by becoming active agents
in the process of learning. MI-EDVHG DFWLYLWLHV DWWHQG WR GLIIHUHQW VWXGHQWV¶ QHHGV
therefore, nobody feels left out. Through active participation in MI-based activities,
students can become more interested and motivated.
With all the objectives of the research in mind, my intervention was based on the
premise, according to which, EFL reading classes could constitute an extremely helpful
tool in terms of teaching EFL linguistic knowledge, information in relation to the themes
dealt with in text and different skills and competences necessary in many real-life
situations. However, as I could observe before my intervention, these objectives could
not be met and students seemed to be rather demotivated. As a result, my initial
14
C.E.F.R., L.O.E.
11 hypothesis of this study was that motivation and, consequently, participation could be
increased with the use of MI-based activities in EFL reading-based classes, which would
both attend GLIIHUHQW VWXGHQWV¶ DELOLWLHV DQG DOVR HQKDQFH WKH GHYHORSPHQW RI NH\
competences. Thus, I assumed that changing the nature of these classes might have
double benefits by making sessions more productive and, at the same time, more
engaging. I intended to examine whether, by being able to use a number of skills that
they feel good at or like, and also by fulfilling different tasks that might appear more
practical in cross-curricular terms, students would become more motivated.
5. Theoretical Background
In order to benefit all students and enhance their different abilities, the widely accepted
view of foregrounding only logical and linguistic intelligences has been challenged a long
time ago. It seems that things have changed for the better, as the main aim of the
classroom, in line with the LOE, is to avoid exclusion and make all students feel worthy
and intelligent. As it has been finally assumed that students can thrive with a broad and
varied curriculum; nowadays educators are encouraged to provide opportunities for
studeQWV¶ LQWHJUDO JURZWK $V +DWFK SURSRVHV school curriculums should be organised
µDURXQGWKHFKLOG¶Hatch 1997: 28) and, thus help in mastering HYHU\LQGLYLGXDO¶VVSHFLILF
strengths and, at the same time, ensuring that other skills are not left unattended.
*DUGQHU¶VWKHRU\DVDSURGXFWRIFRJQLWLYHVFLHQFHFKDOOHQJHVWKHLGHDWKDWLQWHOOLJHQFH
can be considered as a fixed product and invites to rethink its measurability in
standardized intelligence testing. Instead, it proposes that human intellect is much more
FRPSOH[ WKHUHIRUH QR VLPSOH GLYLVLRQV ODEHOLQJ SHRSOH DV µLQWHOOLJHQW¶ RU µQRW LQWHOOLJHQW¶
are valid:
>«@DKXPDQLQWHOOHFWXDOFRPSHWHQFHPXVWHQWDLODVHWRIVNLOOVRISUREOHP
solving ± enabling the individual to resolve genuine problems or difficulties
that he or she encounters and, when appropriate, to create an effective
product ± and must also entail the potential for finding or creating
problems ± thereby laying the groundwork for the acquisition of new
knowledge. (Gardner 1983: 60-1)
(YHQWKRXJK*DUGQHULQVLVWVWKDWWKHµHVVHQWLDO¶LQWHOOLJHQFHVGHWHUPLQHGE\KLPDUHQRW
exhaustive ± as human mind has a too vast majority of faculties rather hard to enlist ± he
aims to define separate categories so as to encompass distinct kinds of abilities
representing significant differences among µW\SHVRINQRZOHGJH¶62). Even though
12 first seven intelligences were enlisted, later an eight has been added. They can be
framed as follows:15
1. Logical-mathematical intelligence includes the skill to work well with numbers and
figures, and to solve problems in logical, rational and scientific ways.
2. Verbal-linguistic intelligence involves the ability to use words effectively, which helps
in reading, writing and speaking efficiently.
3. Visual-spatial intelligence is used to interpret the visual world; it includes the ability to
recognize patterns and think in terms of physical space.
4. Musical intelligence involves sensitivity to sound, skill in performance, appreciation of
music and rhythm.
5. Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence is related to a keen sense of body awareness and clear
understanding of physical action.
6. Naturalist intelligence is linked to appreciation and sensitivity to natural surroundings;
it also involves the ability to recognize patterns in nature and classify objects.
,QWUDSHUVRQDOLQWHOOLJHQFHLVEDVHGRQKHLJKWHQHGXQGHUVWDQGLQJRIRQHVHOIDQGRQH¶V
personal strengths; it involves the tendency to introspective and reflective behaviour.
8. Interpersonal intelligence is related to sensitivity to interaction with others; it is used to
relate to others in a successful way.
As Armstrong clarifies (2009), each person has capacities in all the eight intelligences
outlined above; however, they function together in different ways that are unique to each
LQGLYLGXDO$WWKLVSRLQWLWLVLQWHUHVWLQJWRIRUHJURXQGWKDWWKHDERYHOLVWHGµLQWHOOLJHQFHV¶
can be associated and related to the key competences in a rather direct way. As an
example, mathematical competence relates to the use of logical-mathematical
intelligence, knowledge of interaction with the physical world can be linked to visual
spatial and also naturalistic intelligences, competence in social skills and citizenship is
associated with interpersonal intelligence, autonomy and personal initiative in addition to
learning to learn competence can be related to the use of intrapersonal intelligence, and
cultural and artistic competence ± to musical intelligence. These are just some of the
most direct associations, but possibilities are difficult to exhaust, because numerous
combinations are possible. As a result, varied tasks, requiring that different skills
15
Armstrong, T. (2009). Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom. Alexandria: ASCD, 6-7
13 (intelligences) be employed, can actually trigger the enhancement of the key
competences. Therefore, MI-based activities, in theory, could actually bring to EFL
classroom double advantage, both allowing students to use their personal strengths and
also develop new ones, alongside improving their proficiency in English. As Rubado
proposes, if use of strong points in the process of learning would be made, students
could more easily realize that they are all smart and intelligent in many ways, which
would also help them to become more motivated and enjoy themselves in classes.
(2002). In line with this, Valle and Cabanach (2003) draw a direct link between good
performance and motivation by asserting that the latter increases when students feel
assured in terms of demonstrating high proficiency levels through the use of their
individual specific skills. MI-based activities can provide room for a number of skills to be
demonstrated. Therefore, Silver, Strong and Perini (1997: 24) insist that exploiting MI in
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and, thus, enhances productivity as a result of increased motivation.
Some authors, such as Pokey (2003), suggest that using MI stands for a positive change
not only as far as students are concerned, but also for teachers. Thus, instead of
recurring to the easiest and most convenient ways to teach, they can reflect on the
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µHYHORS LQQRYDWLYH WHDFKLQJ VWUDWHJLHV¶ WKDW FRXOG DFWLYHO\ LQYROYH D ODUJHU QXPEHU RI
students (Pokey 2003: 82).
During EFL reading classes, as I have previously suggested based on observation,
students seem to be lacking in motivation. This might be partially due to the fact that they
DUHµUHVFWULFWHG¶WRWKHXVHRIWKHLUUHDGLQJDELOLW\DQGDQVZHULQJWRTXLWHEDVLFTXHVWLRQV
which does not foster more productive learning. According to James C. (1995: 3), this
problem could be solved by opening up possibilities for the use of different abilities,
which would balance out the possible weakness of one specific skill - reading, in this
case - by strengths in other areas. Being able to approach texts from different
perspectives could also facilitate reading comprehension and, consequently, result in
improvement as far as attitudes towards EFL learning are concerned. As Bahous, Bacha
& NabhanLSRLQWRXWµPRWLYDWLRQLVDPDMRUFRQFHUQLQLPSURYLQJUHDGLQJDQG
FRQVHTXHQWO\ IRVWHULQJ OLWHUDF\¶ DQG LW FDQ RQO\ EH DFKLHYHG LI µSRVLWLYH ODQJXDJH
H[SHULHQFHV¶DUHFUHDWHGE\ERRVWLQJVWXGHQW¶VFRQILGHQFHLQWKHLUDELOLWLHV¶
Reidel, Tomaszewski & Weaver (2003), underline that, as far as motivation and
interested in reading are concerned, they have been affected in a negative way due to
the growth of new technologies that are changing the way we engage with new
14 information. Therefore, different ways of learning should be stimulated in order to
achieve best results possible in terms of engaging with texts. In addition, Herbe,
Thielenhouse & Wykert (2002: 30) point out that teachers cannot rely on traditional ways
of teaching any more in relation to reading-based classes, if they expect high
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GLIIHUHQWVWXGHQWV¶QHHGV¶7KXVVKHHQFRXUDJHVWKHXVHRI0,WRFRPSOHPHQWWUDGLWLRQDO
methods in reading-based classes, instead of eliminating them, and thus to expand the
FXUULFXOXPIRUWKHEHQHILWRIHYHU\ERG\7KLVFDQEHUHODWHGWR$OEHUR%URZQ(OLDVRQ¶V
(1997) hypothesis, according to which, students learn more easily and get more
motivated if they are able to establish connections between the contents of texts that
they use and reality outside the books. Therefore, issued present in text should be
analysed from different perspectives using varied sources and materials.
Different studies carried out by Simeon (1995) and Mettetal, Jordan & Harper (1997)
prove that students, teachers and parents tend to show a very positive attitude towards
the idea of implementing MI-based activities in classroom LQRUGHUWRLPSURYHVWXGHQWV¶
learning proficiency. Broderick and Allen (2000) offer a model for practical application of
MI-based tasks to teaching in general. Nevertheless, it could be said that there are
hardly any studies that could offer clear results of applying MI specifically to EFL reading
classes, and this is one of the main reasons why carrying out a research like this is
important.
6. Methodology
The students, that I used MI-based activities with in this study, were mix-gendered and
they were all from the same group ± 2C, level 2° ESO. Bearing in mind the fact that this
school has become bilingual only since three years ago, these students had similar
proficiency levels in EFL to students from other public and semi-public schools, the
incorporation of the former in bilingual teaching has been gradual and is still relatively
recent.
There were 26 students involved in the initial and final data-gathering, aged between
thirteen and fourteen years old. My choice of group was not altogether random, but it
was not based on any factors related to their proficiency or possible differences among
the students of 2º ESO associated with learning. Group C, consisting of 26 students,
was selected, because it was the only group of 2° ESO level taught by my school tutor.
Nevertheless, even though my school tutor did not teach any more 2º ESO groups, I was
allowed to observe EFL reading classes of other three groups taught by another teacher,
but following the same teaching methodology as the group involved in the experiment.
15 Therefore, apart from the students participating in this research, there were also two
female teachers, aged 26 and 25, who I also counted upon to gather data.
The research carried out here could be considered to be an action research; it involved
both qualitative and quantitative analysis. First of all, it is important to foreground that a
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and evaluate the results: the nature of activities in EFL reading classes was changed in
order to achieve higher motivation and participation levels. In addition, the results of this
study were evaluated based on the data gathered in a specific context making
judgements and interpretations in relation to observation, opinions, feelings and attitudes
of the participants. Percentages of the answers given by the students were counted in
order to find potential differences between pre and post-test results and then compare
them with my observational notes, and also the opinions of the interviewed teachers.
Three different procedures, thus, used for data-gathering could be outlined: interviews
carried out with two different teachers participating in the study, my observation during
all the EFL reading classes that I could assist before introducing MI activities and also
during the period that I was teaching myself, pre and post-questionnaires administered
to all the students of 2C. In order to explain the sequence of my data±gathering, I will
briefly cover the methodology used in this research.
Before and during my intervention period, in order to get more accurate qualitative data,
I took observational notes about the EFL reading classes monitoring behaviour of
different groups doing 2º ESO. Therefore, during the period before the intervention, I
assisted a number of classes, following their natural course, taught by two different
teachers to check whether they were carried out in the same way. As I could observe,
both teachers used the same technique during EFL reading classes; as a result, I
deduced that they followed the same teaching principle. Both groups were reading the
same textbook ± Henry VIII ± during the period of my observation, which lasted one
month and a half. 16
Upon what I noted GXULQJ ()/ UHDGLQJ FODVVHV LQ WHUPV RI VWXGHQWV¶ EHKDYLRXU DQG
attitudes, I based my further methodology for data-gathering by including certain
questions in both interviews and questionnaires, and it also helped me to create
activities for the MI-based reading classes to be used during my intervention period.
16 Hardy-Gould, J. (2008). Henry the VIII and His Six Wives. Oxford Bookworms Stage 2.
Oxford University Press: Madrid 16 Before starting implementing the MI-based activities in EFL classes, the group of
students were provided with questionnaires consisting of fifteen questions, fourteen of
them closed-ended questions and the other two ± likert scale. However, even though the
questions were close-ended, in the first five questions, the students were given the
RSWLRQRIJLYLQJGHWDLOLQWKHLURZQZRUGVLQFDVHWKH\GHFLGHGWRPDUNWKHRSWLRQµRWKHU¶
In order to make it clearer for the analysis of results, I divided the questions into five
sections: 1) preferences and dislikes in relation to the use of different skills, 2) Opinions
about usefulness of EFL reading classes in relation to real life, 3) motivation in EFL
classes, 4) participation in class, 5) attitudes towards reading
Two teachers were interviewed to compare their answers in-between and also to those
of the students who used MI-based activities, particularly as far DVVWXGHQWV¶EHKDYLRXULQ
EFL reading classes, their participation and motivation were concerned. In addition,
some of the questions were designHG WR OHDUQ DERXW WKH WHDFKHUV¶ opinions about
motivation in relation to reading in general. Both questionnaires and interviews were
made in Spanish due to the request of my school tutor. All the questions (15) included in
the interviews were open-ended. For the sake of clarity, they were divided into four
sections:
2SLQLRQVLQUHODWLRQWRUHDGLQJLQJHQHUDORSLQLRQVDERXWVWXGHQWV¶SUHIHUHQFHVLQ
relation to the use of different skills, 3) information in relation to the nature of EFL
readiQJFODVVHVVWXGHQWV¶SDUWLFLSDWLRQDQGPRWLYDWLRQLQ()/UHDGLQJFODVVHV
During my intervention period, a new text ± Rainforest ± was used in class, as the
students had already finished working with Henry VIII. As I had to wait a rather long time
before I was allowed to start the new book and implement MI-based activities, there
were only five weeks left before the end of my practice period at the school. Hence, I
could only carry out four sessions, even though I had counted on more sessions and
activities before starting the experiment. During a four-week period, I provided the
students with ranging activities integrating the use of multiple intelligences to explore the
text Rainforests. Therefore, instead of reading the text in a linear way the text and
UHVSRQGLQJ WR WKH VDPH VHW RI µZK-µ TXHVWLRQV DIWHU HDFK WZR SDUDJUDSKV VWXGHQWV
integrated different skills in every session to complete activities using not only their
linguistic and intrapersonal intelligences, but also the rest ones: visual-spatial, logicalmathematical, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, naturalist, interpersonal and intrapersonal.17 In
addition to applying different teaching technique, during the sessions that I taught, I
17
See footnote 15.
17 observed behaviour of the students and thus gathered data in my diary, which was
useful for analysing the final results.
After the end of my teaching, the students were asked to complete post-test
questionnaires rather similar to the pre-test ones, as I pretended to collect information
and compare their attitudes and motivation after having used MI-based activities.
6.1. Activities designed for the practice of MI-based activities in relation to
Rainforests
Session 1
This session was designed as an introduction for the text Rainforests. I used a Power
Point presentation throughout the whole class for multiple purposes: reproduction of my
chosen video, screening of numerous images, checking of answers and playing some
background music for brainstorming.
First of all, before introducing the topic, I put some background music on with the sounds
of rainforests (found on Youtube),18 so that the students could start the session in a
relaxed atmosphere. First of all, I explained to the class that two volunteers would have
to read the introduction of the text aloud to the rest of the class while the rest of the
group had to listen attentively with eyes closed and try to grasp the main ideas.
$IWHUZDUGV ZH EULHIO\ GLVFXVVHG LQ FODVV WKH VWXGHQWV¶ WKRXJKWV DERXW WKH LQWHQWLRQV RI
the author. Then we looked together for a sentence in the introduction that foregrounded
the importance of reading this text in particular ± raising environmental-consciousness.
Subsequently, the students were asked to do Exercise 2 from the Worksheets in small
groups.19The representative of each group had to write their answers on the blackboard.
Afterwards, the students watched a video about rainforests a couple of times and, thus,
they could correct their answers.20 Consequently, the latter were later double-checked
together using a Power Point presentation by clarifying doubts together and correcting
the errors on the blackboard. In case some students could not understand very well
either the video or the transcription, the latter was translated into Spanish by some
volunteers with the help of the teacher. Based on the introduction of Rainforests and the
YLGHRDVKRUWEUDLQVWRUPLQJDFWLYLW\IROORZHGLQUHODWLRQWRWKHVWXGHQWV¶NQRZOHGJHDERXW
the significance of the topic that we were about to deal with. Then students started
reading the text aloud, two sentences each; however, as it was the first session of this
kind, the ones that felt uncomfortable doing it, could skip their turn. After reading a
18
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yg3W11G4In0
6HH$SSHQGL[6WXGHQW¶V Worksheet, Session 1
20
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18 FRXSOHRISDJHVWKH\ZHUHDVNHGWRGRµ758(DQG)$/6(¶H[HUFLVHLQSDLUVE\KHOSLQJ
one another referring back to what they have seen/read and heard during the session.21
Session 2
This session, encompassing the rest of the first chapter of Rainforests, was designed
with the idea in mind that there was a lot of information and facts that needed to be
introduced. Thus, in order to make the processing of acquiring new knowledge more
dynamic, I explained to the students that they had to be as attentive as possible in terms
of content while reading, as they were about to participate in a competition. 22 Before
dividing the students into three groups, I asked them to get acquainted first with the
information in the first Chapter of Rainforests. Therefore, they were asked to read aloud
a couple of sentences each and then make questions to one another (in relation to the
information that each paragraph contained) before continuing reading. Furthermore,
when any mistakes were made in terms of grammatical correctness of the questions, the
following person had to try to correct them and then answer the question before starting
reading again.
After the first chapter was covered, I explained the rules of the competition, which we
were about to start, to the students. They had to look for the information requested in the
worksheets as fast as possible and then run to the blackboard in order to write down the
answers of their groups. Later, before counting the scores of the competition, the
students were asked to work in the same groups (look, appendix). After listening to a
song about the importance of rainforests, they had to summarize its main ideas and write
them down.23 Before the end of the session, I collected the worksheets in order to
correct them and count the final scores, which had to be announced during the following
session.
Session 3
At the beginning of this session the students were divided into three groups, different
from what they had been in the previous session. They were given worksheets with a
short text consisting of three paragraphs. Each group needed to work on the
paragraph that they were assigned.24 This activity was meant to make the students
more self-aware about the issues related to the extinction of rainforests. Some
21
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrcU514z6nM
24
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22
19 vocabulary was revised; in addition, the students learned some new words as well.
Each group had to write a short report in relation to the text and then present it to the
rest of the class. In the following activity the students had a choice of either reading
Chapter 2 of the text Rainforests or listening to the audio when it was read. They
were asked to note down two facts that surprised them the most. Afterwards, the
information that seemed most interesting to the students was briefly discussed and
shared together in class. As one of the most important issues related to the extinction
of rainforests included in this chapter was global warming, the students were asked
to discuss it. Furthermore, a couple of volunteers participated in drawing a scheme
on the blackboard depicting the role that rainforests have in stopping global warming.
The rest of the classmates tried to explain the scheme in their own words. The last
DFWLYLW\RIWKLVVHVVLRQZDVEDVHGRQWKHYLGHRµ$QLPDOV6DYHWKH3ODQHW¶JLYLQJVRPH
fun ideas in relation to some possible ways to stop global warming.25 The students
were asked to use their imagination and write a paragraph explaining how their
contribution could be made to save the planet.
Session 4
The fourth session was focused on helping the students to get acquainted in more
detail with the people living in rainforests. In order to get a more general view about
different tribes, living across the globe, and the issues that they all face with the
disappearance of their forests, we started this session by reading the text. After each
paragraph or two, the activity of reading was stopped and the students were asked to
summarize and outline the main points in their own words. Some new vocabulary
was acquired, as students were asked to define some unknown words or either
guess their meaning based on the clues that I was providing on the blackboard. In
RUGHU WR EURDGHQ WKH VWXGHQWV¶ NQRwledge in relation to the tribes that they were
reading about, I looked for some facts about three different tribes from numerous
websites on the Internet and compiled all the information into short texts. Therefore,
the students were divided into three groups corresponding to three different tribes;
then they were provided with worksheets containing texts about their specific tribes.26
Consequently, the students were assigned a question each from the ones that
appear below the texts. However, they needed to read the whole text about their
specific tribe in order to find the answers to the questions. Instead of transcribing the
25
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyO1driLF-8&feature=related 26
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20 information found directly into the worksheets, they were asked to rewrite it in their
own words. When the students were ready, each µWULEH¶KDGWRPDNHDQLPSURYLVHG
presentation to the rest of the group giving the information that they had found.
Meanwhile, a Power Point presentation was played offering numerous pictures of the
tribes that were presented, so that the students could get a clearer idea of what they
were talking/listening about.
7. Analysis of Results
7.1. My Observations
As I had previously outlined, I took notes in relation to what I observed before starting
implementing the sessions including MI-based activities and also during the period of my
teaching. As far as conventional EFL reading classes were concerned, I attended
various sessions implemented by both teachers, interviewed at the beginning of my
observation. Behaviour of student, independently of the groups that they belonged to
and also the teachers that were teaching them, was rather similar across different
classes. Levels of active participation ± UHDGLQJ DORXG RU DQVZHULQJ WR WKH WHDFKHUV¶
questions ± were rather low in general. Moreover, it was very hard to tell whether, apart
from a small number of volunteers participating actively during numerous sessions, the
rest of the students in all the groups actually followed what was going on in class. Some
of them kept books closed; on the other hand, there were also some students who
seemed to pretend to follow the class by having their texts open while engaging in other
activities, for example, drawing or doing homework for other subjects. Moreover, often
many students did not bring their books along making the same most common excuse ±
that they had forgotten to ± even though they were perfectly aware when they were
going to have EFL classes, because it was a fixed routine. Even though a small number
of all groups exhibited continuous interest in the text that was being read, as they
intended to give answers to all the questions and read whenever they were asked to,
general discipline during EFL classes was rather hard to maintain and, on numerous
occasions, some students would make jokes in relation to the themes that the text was
dealing with. I noticed that the majority of students who enjoyed reading had high
proficiency in English in general (it showed when they answered to the questions giving
detail) and rather good pronunciation. On the other hand, there were some students (in
one group even four) who refused to read when asked to or showed to be rather
reluctant if the teachers still insisted, as they claimed that their pronunciation was too
bad. On some occasion, when one of these students would make an effort to read, some
of their classmates would laugh. I assumed that this could be attributed to the fact that all
the students were used to hearing mostly their classmates who had good pronunciation.
21 As a result, some students seemed to find it funny when more mistakes were made
when reading, as they did not know how to react.
When I started teaching sessions in relation to MI-based activities, I took notes after
each class in relation to one particular group that I was working with. In addition, I
collected all of the worksheets completed by the students in order to gather more data
based on the successfulness of the activities implemented. Even though I only had a
chance to try out MI-based activities with one group of 2º ESO, I still kept attending the
EFL reading classes, carried out as usual, as a part of my practicum period. As far as my
observation of the latter was concerned, the usual teaching routine followed when
dealing with Rainforests; therefore, no new observations could be added in addition,
apart from the ones outlines in the paragraph above.
During the sessions that I was teaching, most students seemed to be more implicated
and motivated. During some activities implying work in groups; however, at first there
were some problems in relation to discipline. Nevertheless, at the end it looked as if the
students were getting used to new dynamics and collaborative work, which also helped
in making both teaching and learning more productive and faster-going. Therefore, all in
all, it could be said that the enjoyment of students and their willingness to work during
class showed to be increasing with the passing of each session.
As far as the first session is concerned, Activity 2 caused most problems, as the
students seemed to find the text in the worksheets rather hard to deal with. I noticed that
most students were having difficulties understanding all the new vocabulary; thus, they
were struggling with the task in general. However, I thought that this activity was useful
in helping the students discover new strategies of approaching text by identifying key
words, without the need to understand every single word. In addition, watching the video
after that, was really useful, because the students seemed to become much more
interested in the topic and they enjoyed self-checking this way. The suggestion of
translating the text afterwards, so that everybody could understand it to its full, was met
with enthusiasm by the students, but there were only two volunteers who were willing to
do it. Therefore, I could observe that most students were still feeling either at loss or
unsure about using their knowledge for the fear of mistakes.
Session 2 went really fluently, apart from the noise that some students were causing at
some points in the heat of competition. As winning or losing was at stake, I noticed that
most students felt really implied with their groups, and they were doing their best to find
the requested information as soon as possible. Most answers were correct; though, at
some points it seemed that some students were more concerned about being the first
22 ones to come to the blackboard rather than finding the right information. Nevertheless,
as I could observe, after collecting the worksheets when the competition was over, most
groups made the effort of correcting their answers in the worksheets when mistakes
were detected on the blackboard. This seems to prove that most students were both
interested in winning and obtaining correct answers. The activity based on the song
about rainforests was completed fully by all the groups; all students seemed to enjoy the
song a lot. However, some of them either did not understand the instructions or did not
know how to follow them as, instead of summarizing the main points, they transcribed
some lyrics of the song.
I could detect similar difficulties at the beginning of Session 3, as far as Activity 1 was
concerned. Even though work in groups seemed to be going more fluently and all the
students wrote definitions for the required words, they still found rather hard the task of
rephrasing the given sentences in their own words. Afterwards we discussed this issue
together in the tutorial and, thus, I learned that they were not used to tasks like this at all.
However, when they understood fully what was required from them (after analysing a
number of examples) and after some practice, most students became better at
rephrasing. The video used at the end of the session 4 ± µ$QLPDOV 6DYH WKH 3ODQHW¶ ±
was enjoyed by the students a lot and they asked me to repeat it, even though this could
not be carried out due to the limits of time. It seemed to have inspired the students in
terms of proposing ways to help save the planet, as their written paragraphs were very
creative and interesting.
Session 4 started with reading about the different tribes living in rainforests. As I could
observe, during this session most students looked quite distracted and tired, because
that day they were sitting examinations of other subjects. Therefore, at first, they were
rather reluctant to read the chapter that we were supposed to cover during the session.
Some students made jokes about the names of the tribes and, in general, they seemed
to be lacking in interest. Nevertheless, when the following activity started, discipline got
much better as everybody seemed to be preoccupied with finding the information that
they needed as soon as possible. Except for one group, members of which were not fully
prepared, all groups did really well in making their presentations in front of the class.
Meanwhile, other students seemed to be enjoying both listening to the presentations of
their classmates and observing the images of the tribes on the digital blackboard.
23 7KH7HDFKHUV¶,QWHUYLHZV
Due to the fact that the interviews (containing the same questions) carried out with both
teachers were based on open-ended questions, the answers were compared and
analysed in a qualitative way.
Opinions in relation to reading in general
As far as the activity of reading in general was concerned, both teachers thought that it
was extremely important, however, for different reasons. One of the teachers claimed
that it was necessary to develop reading skills in order to access all kinds of information
and be able to interpret it. She insisted, thus, that good reading comprehension was
crucial in terms of developing abilities ± such as critical approach ± necessary for
efficient functioning in modern world in general. The other teacher, on the other hand,
laid more emphasis on the content of texts, rather than their multi-purpose function of
helping students to acquire different skills. She claimed that reading was important in
terms of learning more about some particular topic if one was willing; but above all, it
was important for pleasure. Both teachers lamented that nowadays teenagers seem to
have abandoned reading, as they generally prefer other activities. One of the main
reasons for this, indicated by both teachers, was that students of 2º ESO are passing
through a period in which they are bound to prioritize other activities such as: socializing
through social networks, Internet-browsing, going out, etcetera. In addition, the teacher,
who thought that the main function of reading was to give pleasure, claimed that
students were discouraged from reading due to the DPRXQW RI µERULQJ WH[WV¶ WKDW WKH\
were obliged to use in class. Interestingly enough, at a later stage, both teachers were
rather negative about the use of particular texts in EFL reading classes, as they both
thought that they were rather demotivating for the students and lacking in context, that
could be approached from a critical perspective.
2SLQLRQVDERXWVWXGHQWV¶SUHIHUHQFHVLQUHODWLRQ to the use of different skills
When asked about the types of activities that their students seemed to enjoy most, one
of the teachers claimed that they were the ones that implied speaking and discussing
different topics whereas the other one insisted that they needed to be audio or videobased. Interestingly enough, both teachers thought that using visual memory helped
most for their students, as far as acquisition of new knowledge was concerned, thus,
implying that reading was really helpful. However, the teacher who had previously
claimed that reading helped to develop different skills, also added that information
24 should be preferably presented to students from various perspectives perspectives and
different ways, so that they could learn easier.
In relation to Question 5, referring to skills and competences that students could develop
in EFL reading classes, one of the teachers thought that these classes were very useful
in terms of helping students develop various abilities and skills that could be useful both
as far as cross-curricular and real-world contexts were concerned. In addition, she
claimed that EFL reading classes served for improving reading, writing, speaking,
listening and, above all, analytical skills, among others. The other teacher, however,
suggested that primarily only skills related reading and speaking could be developed.
Surprisingly enough, despite one of the teachers strong opinion in relation to
development of various skills during EFL reading classes, in reality this was not
accomplished successfully as I could observe. Therefore, reality of EFL reading
classroom seemed to be more in DFFRUGDQFH ZLWK RWKHU WHDFKHU¶V YLHZ according to
whom, only skills of speaking and reading could be developed.
Information in relation to the nature of EFL reading classes
As expected, in accordance with the answers to Question 5, both teachers gave similar
answers to Question 6 implying that the principal objectives of EFL reading classes were
developing the previously mentioned skills. At this point, they agreed that this kind of
classes constituted a rare opportunity for students to get approximated, as much as
poVVLEOH WR WKH XVH RI µUHDO-ZRUOG¶ (QJOLVK ,Q RWKHU ZRUGV WH[WV WKDW WKH\ UHDG XQOLNe
other textbooks serving the purpose of teaching grammar, from their point of view,
provided a chance of dealing with contextualised language.
The teachers explained to me that EFL reading classes amounted only 10% of the total
mark in evaluation at the end of the course. Students needed to pass three
H[DPLQDWLRQVEDVHGRQWKHWH[WGHDOWZLWKLQFODVVZKLFKFRQVLVWHGRIµWUXH¶DQGµIDOVH¶
and close-ended questions. Even though I was told that evaluation was solely based on
testing of the knowledge associated directly with contents of the text used, one of the
teachers insisted (Question 8), that during EFL reading classes also context beyond the
text would be analysed from a critical perspective. Nevertheless, she consequently told
that she would evaluate the contents of the text treated with only 3 points (out of 5) as far
as their capacity to teach students critical thinking was concerned. Surprisingly, the other
teacher, on the contrary, acknowledged that, according to her, EFL reading classes did
not include any context analysis beyond the text. Therefore, she claimed that the text
used in class were hardly any good for teaching critical skills (by marking 2 points out of
25 5 in Question 9). Both teachers coincided in evaluating the texts used as rather
unappealing to their students by giving them only 2 points out of 5. As I have previously
outlined, one of the reasons that both teachers seemed to be implying, as responsible
for the lack of motivation in their EFL reading classes, was the use of particular texts that
they had no options in choosing.
6WXGHQWV¶SDUWLFLSDWLRQDQGPRWLYDWLRQLQUHODWLRQWR()/UHDGLQJFODVVHV
The teachers claimed that their students were motivated most in relation to the format of
EFL classes and the main reason for that was that these classes were very different
from any other classes in school. Therefore, it could be assumed that they both thought
that the activities used (as they both followed the same methodology) were motivating
their students; however, they also agreed that, unfortunately, their students were not
motivated in relation to the activity of reading in English as such. Nevertheless, one of
the teachers also added that levels of motivation also varied across the course, as
students would become more or less interested in the specific text used at the time. Both
teachers agreed that levels of participation of all groups were rather low and they pointed
out that this could be attributed mostly to the lack of interest in relation to studying in
general and, in some cases, lack of confidence on the part of some students in terms of
their proficiency in English. Nevertheless, both teachers underlined that, even though in
general levels of participation were rather low, there were some outstanding students
who seemed to be rather enthusiastic about EFL classes and, thus, participated always.
As far as possibilities of increasing motivation were concerned, both teachers showed to
be rather sceptical about that, claiming that any changes were nearly impossible, as the
majority of their students were demotivated in general. However, one of the teachers
suggested that even if motivation could be slightly increased, it would only be possible if
texts used in class were changed and EFL reading classes would score more at the final
evaluation of the course. Thus, in relation to Question 14, she added that it would
probably be a good idea to allow students have a vote in the selection of texts for the
course. The other teacher, on the contrary, thought that this would be not feasible, as it
could only disrupt discipline of the class, instead of motivating the students. It is
interesting to notice, that none of the teachers considered the possibility of changing
activities used in class, as they did not think that it could be one of the main reasons for
the lack of motivation on the part of their students.
26 When asked about the possibility of using activities that would imply movement, both
teachers discarded it by saying that in general there was a rather serious issue with
disciple, which could get even more serious if students were engaged in such activities.
Even though, they both agreed that such practice could be motivating for their students,
they also acknowledged that they would not use it, because they would both not know
how to apply it in their classes and it could be disruptive in terms of discipline.
7KH6WXGHQWV¶3UHDQG3RVW-test Questionnaires
So that some decisive conclusions could be reached in terms of the students¶ attitudes
and opinions in relation to their motivation, I described and analysed the answers before
and after the experiment of implementing the MI-based activities. As far as both
VWXGHQWV¶pre and post-questionnaires were concerned, they were analysed by sections:
*HQHUDO LQIRUPDWLRQ DERXW VWXGHQWV¶ SUHIHUHQFHV LQ UHODWLRQ WR GLIIHUHQW VNLOOV Opinions about usefulness of EFL classes in relation to real life, 3) Attitudes towards
EFL reading classes and the way they are carried out, 4) Participation in class, 5)
Attitudes towards reading in general. The numbers that appear in the titles of the charts
presented in this section correspond to the questions in pre and post-test
questionnaires. In addition, for the sake of clarity, I used in the titles of the charts the
WHUPµ()/UHDGLQJFODVVHV¶WRHQFRPSDVVERWKWKHJHQHUDOUHDGLQJFODVVHVDQGWKH0,based ones.
Before focusing on the EFL reading classes in particular, I was first interested in learning
about the studHQWV¶ SUHIHUHQFHV LQ WHUPV RI WKHLU DELOLWLHV 7KLV SDUW RI TXHVWLRQQDLUH
thus, LQYROYLQJ TXHVWLRQV FHQWHUHG RQ µVNLOOV¶ ZDV RQO\ LQFOXGHG LQ WKH SUH-test
questionnaires, as I was determined that the answers could not possibly change
afterwards for any valid reasons, as only four weeks had passed in-between pre and
post-data collection. The questions that were included in this section were aimed at
ILQGLQJ DERXW WKH VWXGHQWV¶ JHQHUDO VNLOOVDELOLWLHV XVHG LQ OHDUQLQJ DQG WKHLU DWWLWXGHV
towards them. Up to this point, I avoided mentioning EFL reading classes, because I was
interested in learning where and how the skill of reading stood in relation other skills.
27 6WXGHQWV¶SUHIHUHQFHVLQUHODWLRQWRWKHXVHRIGLIIHUHQWVNLOOV
As the first chart shows (standing for Questions 1 and 2), when talking about their
personal preferences, even 39% students PDUNHGµRWKHU¶OHDYLQJRXWDFWLYLWLHVEDVHGRQ
IRXUJHQHUDOVNLOOVRXWRIFRQVLGHUDWLRQDVWKHLUµIDYRXULWHV¶%HDULng this mind, it could be
deduced that most of the students prefer non-conventional activities for learning as far
as school is concerned. Therefore, there was a considerable number of students who
RSWHG IRU ³RWKHU´ W\SHV of activities that they liked, which can be summarised in the
following way: 11% (out of the 26 students) indicated activities including movement, 4% competitions, 8% - group work, 16% - videos and presentations.
$FWLYLWLHV LQYROYLQJ µVSHDNLQJ¶ ZHUH indicated as the second favourite activity by most
students, as they were FKRVHQE\RIWKHJURXSµ5HDGLQJ¶ZDVKRZHYHU marked
RQO\E\VWXGHQWVVLPLODUO\DVµOLVWHQLQJ¶± only by 3 (12%)WKXVOHDYLQJµZULWLQJ¶
as the most hated activity by 58% of the total number. Therefore, whereas activities
based on the four basic skills ± speaking, reading, writing and listening ± as favourites
amounted to 61% in total, as the most disliked ones together they scored 92%. Such
difference in percentages seems to indicate that there is a need for different activities to
be used in school, if teachers want their students to enjoy learning more. Moreover, even
before starting the implementation of MI-based activities, numbers appeared to indicate
that reading-based classes were not likely to be enjoyed by most students of this
particular group, at best, causing them indifference. $FWLYLWLHV LQYROYLQJ µUHDGLQJ¶ ZHUH
liked and disliked most by nearly the same number of students (4 and 3), which was not
very high in either of the cases.
28 3.4. How do students learn new information most easily?What do they believe to be best at?
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Helps most in acquring new
knowledge
Students think to be best at
The chart above (Questions 3 and 4) represents the answers to two different questions,
which I decided to compare in the data-analysis, because they seemed to exhibit
correlation. Question number 3 in the pre-WHVW TXHVWLRQQDLUH ZDV µZKLFK ZD\ LV WKH
HDVLHVWIRU\RXWROHDUQDQGDFTXLUHLQIRUPDWLRQIRUWKHORQJHVWWLPHSRVVLEOH"¶4XHVWLRQ
number 4 was: µ:KLFKDFWLYLW\LQ\RXURSLQLRQDUH\RXEHVWDW"¶ Again, similarly as with
the first two questions represented in the Chart number 1, I intended to measure the
VWXGHQWV¶DWWLWXGHVWRZDUGVWKHXVHRIWKHIRXUEDVLFVNLOOVEXW,DOVRDLPHGDWILQGLQJRut
whether they were in need of using other skills and abilities as well. Interestingly enough,
it appears that the students mostly considered the skills that they were good at as also
being the most productive ones to use. In other words, as the chart shows, significant
VLPLODULWLHV EHWZHHQ WKH VWXGHQWV¶ DQVZHUV WR ERWK TXHVWLRQV ZHUH IRXQG 7KHUHIRUH
HYHQWKRXJKIHZVWXGHQWVWROGWRµORYH¶RUµKDWH¶UHDGLQJRIWKHPWKRXJKWWKDWWKH\
learned most easily by using this skill and 38% indicated that they were very good at it.
Similar percentages of the whole group indicated both discussing information in groups
or using audio and video to get information as the skills that they felt most comfortable
using, and also as the best techniques for learning. DesSLWH WKH IDFW WKDW µZULWLQJ¶ KDG
been previously pointed out as the least favourite with difference, 5 (19%) students
acknowledged that it was the skill that they were best at and other 4 thought (15%) that it
should be used to acquire new information. As far Question 3 was concerned, 5 (19%)
29 VWXGHQWV PDUNHG µRWKHU¶ DQG VWXGHQW GLG QRW UHVSRQG DW DOO ZKLFK VXJJHVWV WKDW
traditional ways of learning do not necessarily have to suite everybody. Moreover, it is
important to point out that, as far as Question 4 was concerned, 2 (8%) students chose
WKHRSWLRQµRWKHU¶FRQVHTXHQWO\FODLPLQJWKDWWKH\ZHUHQRWJRRGDWDQ\WKLQJ, whereas
the rest of the group chose one of the basic skills as something that they thought to be
best at. This seems to show that there is a clear lack of opportunities for practising other
VNLOOVDQGWKXVOHDUQLQJDERXWRQH¶VVWUHQJWKVWKDWFRXOGKHOSLQPDNLQJWKHSURFHVVRI
OHDUQLQJ PRUH SURGXFWLYH DV RI WKH JURXS PDUNHG µRWKHU¶ DV WKH EHVW ZD\ for
acquiring new knowledge in Question 3.
Opinions about usefulness of EFL reading classes in relation to real life
The second section of the questionnaire was designed both as a part of pre and postWHVWWRDQDO\VH WKH VWXGHQW¶V DWWLWXGHVLQWHUPVRI ()/ UHDGLQJ FODVVHV¶XVHIXOQHVV DQG
their applicability to real-life situations. Thus, Questions 5, 6 and 7 in pre- and post-test
TXHVWLRQQDLUHV ZHUH LQWHQGHG WR FRPSDUH WKH VWXGHQWV¶ PRWLYDWLRQ DV UHODWHG WR WKH
practicality of both traditional EFL reading classes and MI-based classes (EFL reading
classes transformed throughout my teaching period). In Pre-test questionnaires, in
UHODWLRQWR4XHVWLRQµ:KDWSXUSRVHLQ\RXURSLQLRQGR()/UHDGLQJFODVVHVKDYH"¶
as expected, more than a half of the students (54%) responded that they helped to
µLPSURYH UHDGLQJ FRPSUHKHQVLRQ DQG LPSURYH (QJOLVK YRFDEXODU\¶ Only 27% of the
group thought that these classes developed different skills and abilities along with
helping them to gain more knowledge about the topic dealt with. Appallingly enough, 4
(15%) students claimed that these classes were good for nothing; whereas just 1 (4%)
RXWRIVWXGHQWVGHILQHGWKHLQVWUXFWLRQDVYHU\XVHIXOE\SRLQWLQJRXWWKDWKHVKHµIHOW
PRUH DW HDVH ZKHQ WDONLQJ WR RWKHU IRUHLJQ SHRSOH DQG OLVWHQLQJ WR WKHP¶ Again, it is
interesting to contrast the students and their teachers´ opinions. While most students
thaught that EFL reading classes were focused on the development of one skill (reading)
and helped in acquiring new vocabulary, one of the teachers interviewed considered that
the main skills to be developed were reading and speaking. Nevertheless, other
WHDFKHU¶VLGHDVDERXWWKHSXUSRVHRI()/UHDGLQJFODVVHVZHUHFRPSOHWHO\GLIIHUHQWDV
she implied that all kinds of skills and competences could be developed, thus, coinciding
only with 27% of the group. Thus, it could be assumed that rather a great difference
could be found between students and teachers´ opinions indicating that, despite the
intentions of the latter to fulfil certain aims, the former felt that they did not learn that
much.
30 After using the MI-based activities, the number of students thinking that text-based
classes solely served the purpose of helping in reading comprehension and vocabulary
acquisition decreased to 35%. 19% more students (46%), compared to the data found in
pre-test, considered that different abilities and knowledge about the topic were
developed. In addition, 15% students marked the option µRWKHU¶all of them thought that
the MI-based classes served multiple purpose of covering knowledge and skills listed in
the options a. and b. together. Only 1 (4%) student kept thinking that these classes were
JRRG IRU QRWKLQJ ZKLFK PHDQV WKDW SUHWW\ JRRG UHVXOWV LQ UHODWLRQ WR WKH VWXGHQWV¶
opinions about usefulness of classes were achieved with the use of MI.
Question 6 (represented by the chart above) was aimed at finding out about the
VWXGHQWV¶JHQHUDOHQJDJHPHQWZLWKthe topics and themes dealt with in reading texts that
they were assigned during the classes. The rationale behind this question was that
motivation decreases if students cannot find any purpose or meaning in what they are
studying. At this point it is important to foreground that the text that the MI-based
activities were used with ± Rainforests, was the most up-to-date text used during this
course. Nevertheless, I believe that this must not have affected the answers in a
signifcant way at all, because the rest of the texts were based on real events and history
as well. According to the students¶ answers in pre-test questionnaires, more than half of
them ± 55% - focused solely on the stories of the texts used without thinking about their
more general context or their relation to reality and real-life issues. It is interesting
enough to note that, as the results show, despite the fact that both teachers insisted that
EFL reading classes constituted a great opportunity to deal with contextualised language
and get approximated to reality in terms of content, there were very few students who
31 thought about WH[WV¶ UHODWLRQVKLS ZLWK UHDOLW\ :KDW LV PRUH RI VWXGHQWV HYHQ
considered that texts did not have any relation to reality at all.
Situation improved, as the post-test showed, after working with MI-based activities and
the text Rainforest, specifically, as 13% students less than before thought the same way.
Big difference between pre and post-experiment results could be seen in terms of
µWKLQNLQJ RI WH[W DV UHIOHFWLRQ RI UHDOLW\¶ :KLOH DFFRUGLQJ WR WKH SUH-test data, first only
19% thought about more general problems related to some real-world situations and
11% thought that texts had nothing to do with reality; after the experiment, the former
figure increased up to 46% whereas there were no students who would consider that
Rainforests was mere fiction.
The last question of this section, number 7, was designed to learn whether reading
classes were motivating in terms of VWXGHQWV¶wanting to find out about the topics dealt
with or their increased motivation in terms of reading in general. As pre-test
questionnaires showed, more than half of the group felt demotivated (54%) while, after
the experiment, this number decreased only by 3 students, but still kept rather high
(42%). 38% of students in total, before and after the experiment, felt that they were
either interested in learning about the topic or they were motivated to read about other
topics, but none of them showed interested in reading more about the topic dealt with in
class. The data collected from the answers to this question seemed to indicate that
conventional EFL reading classes failed to fulfil a double tasks of engaging students with
content and also affecting their motivation positively towards reading outside the school,
as only 8% of the students in pre-test result acknowledged to be interested in finding out
more about the topics treated in class. The post-test results of this question were rather
32 similar in their total, though less students were as categorical when foregrounding their
general demotivation. In addition, as a consequence, 3 students more (20%) indicated to
have more motivation towards reading and learning more in detail about the topic
outside the classroom. Even though changes in relation to the answers to all three
questions in this section (5,6,7) did not show huge changes, they were very significant in
demonstrating some positive outcomes. Comparatively little time (4 sessions) was
dedicated to the new teaching approach; nevertheless, WKH VWXGHQWV¶ DWWLWXGHV Zere
changing in a positive way thus implying that with more time bigger changes could be
expected.
Motivation in EFL reading classes
$V IDU DV WKH VWXGHQWV¶ DWWLWXGHV WRZDUGV ()/ UHDGLQJ FODVVHV ZHUH FRQFHUQHG WKHUH
were few but still rather important changes in terms of pre and post-test results. As the
FKDUWVDERYHVKRZWKHVWXGHQWV¶HQMR\PHQWRIWKHFODVVHVDQGPRWLYDWLRQZHUHDIIHFWHG
after using MI-based activities in a positive way. While at first 70% of the class indicated
that their levels of enjoyment could be evaluated as medium (3 points out of 5), only
15% claimed that they liked EFL reading classes (4 points out of 5) and other 15% told
33 to find no satisfaction (1 point). After having 4 sessions based on Rainforests, even 50%
of the whole group indicated to like EFL reading classes, and other 12% of the students
claimed to enjoy themselves a lot (5 points). In relation to Question 9, in pre-test
questionnaires most students (35%) said that they felt indifferent (3 points), whereas
only 26% in total claimed to be positive or enthusiastic about learning more English, as
motivated by EFL reading classes. This drastically changed in the post-test results as
only 16% of the total group now claimed to be rather demotivated (by marking 1 or 2
points out of 5); on the other hand, even 57% of students claimed to be positive or very
motivated to learn more English (4 or 5 points). $IWHUKDYLQJREWDLQHGWKHVFRUHVRQWKHVWXGHQWV¶SHUVRQDOPRWLYDWLRQLQUHODWLRQWR()/
reading claVVHVP\ LQWHQWLRQ ZDVWRFKHFNWKHLU RSLQLRQ DERXW WKHLUJURXSV¶ PRWLYDWLRQ
as a whole. Therefore, question 10 ZDV µ,Q \Rur opinion, how could motivation of the
whole class EHLQFUHDVHG"¶.
Based on the answers in pre and post-test questionnaires, it appeared that there were 6
students, constituting 23% of the whole group, who thought that it would be better if
students themselves could have a say in the selection of texts. This implied that there
were a significant number of students attributing general lack of motivation to the texts,
as probably they found them unappealing at all. Other 23% in the pre-test claimed that
EFL reading classes should score more in the final evaluation of EFL, so that students
could understand their importance and, thus, get motivated. This number only decreased
by 4% in the post-test results, based on which we could deduce that there is a significant
QXPEHURIVWXGHQWVZKREHOLHYHWKDWWKHµLPSRUWDQFH¶, that the school itself attributes to
the subject in question, affects the way students perceive it and the importance that they
attribute to it. The most important data that urged me to take a different approach
towards the design of MI-based activities was that, according to pre-test questionnaires,
23 students (88%) of 26 thought that there was not enough motivation in EFL reading
34 classes, while 11 (43%) indicated that activities were to blame. In comparison with the
answers provided by the teachers, both the students and teachers agreed that
motivation ws rather low; however, none of the teachers interviewed considered that
changing activities could bring better results.
Opinions of the students changed substantially as far as post-test results were
concerned, because 12 of them less implied that motivation was lacking (57%), and only
4 students out of the latter (15% in total) thought that more changes in terms of activities
were needed.
Answers to Question 11 were particularly important for the research, as they helped me
to find out whether the students were satisfied enough with EFL classes and, also, if any
changes could be noticed after implementation of MI-based activities. Whereas in pretest questionnaires only 31% of students stated that they enjoyed EFL reading classes
and found them useful, in post-test results this number increased to the total of 74%
students who were in favour of continuing with the new teaching methodology. This
could be attributed to the willingness of the part of the students to try out new activities
before the experiment (50%). Only 1 student (4%) in post-test questionnaire responded
to be willing to try out different activities. 11% of the whole group manifested to be
indifferent as far as activities used in class were concerned both in pre and post-test
result, which means that motivation of these students could not be influenced by the
change of methodology. In post-test results, other 11% of students were unsure in
relation to what they wanted, this number having decreased by 4% in pre-test results
(15%).
35 Participation in class
Questions 12 and 13 and in the VHFWLRQµSDUWLFLSDWLRQLQFODVV¶ZHUHGHVLJQHGLQRUGHUWR
find out more about the students¶ opinions about their participation in class. I do believe
that participation is generally closely related to motivation; nevertheless, I still wanted to
make sure I was not jumping to conclusions too fast by making such direct associations
as far as this particular group was concerned. Therefore, when asking students about
their participation levels, I also aimed at finding reasons for both their active implication
in classes or the lack of it.
As for their participation levels, in pre-test questionnaires the majority of students (69%)
answered that they participated on occasions, while only 15% stated that they were
participative always. These numbers changed significantly as far as post-test
questionnaires were concerned, because the number of students participating on all
occasions increased 27%, while the number of students participating on occasions
decreased 15%, which indicated that most probably the latter was directly related to the
former. Furthermore, whereas in the pre-test questionnaires 4 students (16%) indicated
that they never participated and 2 of them (8%) implied that they used to be more
participative before; only 1 students confessed 0% participation after the experiment. In
line with my hypothesis, I assumed that mostly the increased levels of participation could
be attributed to the change of activities; nevertheless, I wanted to learn which tasks
students enjoyed the most.
36 As far as choosing favourite tasks in EFL reading classes was concerned, as expected,
the stXGHQWV¶ RSLQLRQV ZHUH GLYLGHG EHFDXVH everyone has his/her particular likes and
dislikes. As well, varying preferences in terms of using different abilities (as analysed in
the Section 1 corresponding to questions 1,2,3,4), obviously, affected the selection of
favourite activities. Whereas with the first four questions (section 1) I intended to learn
about what different student profiles in terms of their abilities and choice of learning
activities in general were, with Question 13 I wanted to learn to what extent preferences
in terms of activities, specifically related to EFL reading classes, varied.
As I had previously outlined, when I had observed traditional EFL reading classes
before, there were only two types of activities carried out throughout all the sessions ±
reading aloud and question-answering. 10 students (38%) stated that they liked reading
37 best while only 3 (11%) others claimed that they preferred answering questions to
reading. 27% of the whole group indicated that they liked both activities, which, in my
opinion, constituted a rather small number. On the other hand, 6 students (24%) stated
that they were interested in none of the activities, which implied that motivation in terms
of activities was suffering due to their repetitiveness. As far as MI-based activities were
concerned, the students showed to be much more motivated. Contrary to what had been
said before, none of them stated to have no interest whatsoever in any of the activities
used in M-based sessions. Moreover, there were 11% students more than before (38%
in total) who were interested in all the activities. Whereas tasks based on videos and
songs seemed to be the most appealing, as they were selected as favourites by 32%,
UHDGLQJV µRXWVLGH¶ WKH WH[W DQG FUHDWLYH DFWLYLWLHV DPRXQWHG WR LQ WRWDO However,
despite the generally positive result in terms of higher motivation levels and interest, at
first sight, the post-test results seemed to indicate that the interest in the text used
decreased. Only 2 students (8%) out of 26 stated that they were still most interested in
activities directly dealing with Rainforests. On the other hand, at this point it is extremely
important to bear in mind that in post-test there was a much broader scope for selection
in terms of activities used in class. Thus, it could be deduced that maybe, even though
activities based directly on the text were no longer the favourite ones, they were still
enjoyed by the students, but not as their favourite ones. Consequently, as the popularity
of activities used before the implementation of MI-based reading classes (reading and
question-answering) decreased this much in the post-test results, it could be assumed
that a greater variety of tasks was appreciated and enjoyed by the students.
Attitudes Towards Reading in general
The last section of pre and post-WHVWTXHVWLRQQDLUHVFRXOGEHGHQRPLQDWHGDVµ$WWLWXGHV
WRZDUGVUHDGLQJLQJHQHUDO¶(YHQWKRXJKDWILUVWVLJKW4XHVWLRQVµ'R\RXUHDGIRU
SOHDVXUH RXWVLGH WKH FODVVURRP¶" DQG µ:KDW GR \RX WKLQN DERXW WKH DFWLYLW\ RI
reading LQJHQHUDO"¶VHHPWRILWSHUIHFWO\ZHOOLQWRWKHILUVWVHFWLRQDVWKH\DGGUHVVPRUH
general attitudes; including them in the final section was not made randomly. As
throughout the study, my intention was to find out whether it was possible to increase
stXGHQWV¶ SDUWLFLSDWLRQ ZLWK WKH XVH RI 0,-based activities, the objective of this section
ZDV WR PHDVXUH ZKHWKHU WKH VWXGHQWV¶ RXWORRN DQG PRWLYDWLRQ WRZDUGV UHDGLQJ LQ
general) could also be influenced by the experiment.
38 As far as Question 14 was concerned, there were hardly any changes to be observed
before and after the experiment. In pre-test questionnaires, very few students reported to
enjoy the activity of reading a lot and practise it often ± only 15%. Other 35% of the
group read on some occasions and other 35% told that they could not read due to the
lack of time. Only 15% of the group confessed that they found reading too boring to
engage with. This slightly changed as far as post-test results were concerned, as the
latter figure decreased to 12%. 1 student out of 4, constituting 4% of the group, in pretest changed his/her mind by reporting that he/she did not read due to the lack of time
and not because he/she found it boring.
Question 15 was particularly important to my research, because one of my objectives
ZDV WR LQFUHDVH VWXGHQWV¶ SRVLWLYH SUHGLVSRVLWLRQ LQ UHODWLRQ WR ()/ UHDGLQJ-based
classes and, consequently, their interest in texts used. By using MI-based activities, I
hoped that the students would more easily realize that neither reading in general nor the
texts used in class were boring. Furthermore, by approaching texts that needed to be
used in class from a more dynamic perspective, I aimed at making the students both
enjoy and discover the usefulness of books and reading in general.
After comparing pre and post-WHVWUHVXOWV,IRXQGRXWWKDWLQJHQHUDOVWXGHQWV¶RSLQLRQV
about reading in English were not as bad as I had expected before. Firstly, even 46% of
the group thought that reading in English could be both pleasurable and useful, and this
percentage increased up to 58% after the experiment. Moreover, before the
implementation of MI-based classes, other 46% considered reading activities to be
useful, but not pleasurable; this also changed favorably afterwards by making this
number decrease by 12 %. Interestingly enough, before and after the experiment, there
39 were 2 students (8%) who did not find reading in English useful at all, even though 1 of
them (4%) still considered that it could be pleasurable. As for this, the fact that there
were no changes in relation to the opinions expressed by 8 % of the whole group,
indicates that opinions of some people are hard to change.
,IWKHVWXGHQWV¶DQVZHUVLQUHODWLon to this section (Questions 14,15) be compared to their
WHDFKHUV¶RSLQLRQVWKHUHLVDQLPSRUWDQWGLIIHUHQFHWREHQRWLFHG$VERWKSUHDQGSRVWtest results show, most students were not as negative about reading in general as their
teachers think they were. This might be due to the fact that most students appeared to
be lacking interest in conventional EFL reading classes in particular, probably because
of the activities used and not because they did not like the thought of reading at all.
8. Conclusions
As educators continue to search for more effective methods of teaching, interest in the
role and assessment of multiple intelligences in relation to learning and motivation has
been lately increasing; nevertheless, practical applications of new methodologies are still
rather rare in Spanish secondary school settings. Not only there seems to be little
opportunity to adapt a more innovative approach in EFL classes because, on the whole,
public educational system in Spain is rather rigid, but also because finding ways to use
MI-based activities can be hard due to a number of reasons. First of all, time of classes
in schools is limited, which makes it hard to follow the pre-established contents and, at
the same time, integrate complementary activities attending diversity of students. In
addition, both finding or designing a set of tasks ± related to the pre-established topics ±
that would necessary require the use of different skills can be both complicated and also
very time-consuming. In addition, there is no formal instruction whatsoever that would
help teachers to learn how to adapt MI-based activities and also implement them in
class.
Despite some drawbacks enlisted above, this study was aimed at finding out whether the
application of MI-based methodology to EFL reading-based classes was both feasible
and practical, bearing in mind all the restrictions. With the hypothesis in mind, according
to which, these classes could be taken better advantage of by changing their nature
through the use of MI-based activitiHV P\ LQWHQWLRQ ZDV WR FKHFN ZKHWKHU VWXGHQWV¶
motivation could be, thus, increased.
According to all the data gathered and analysed in this study, some general conclusions
could be drawn. Firstly, it needs to be pointed out that the introduction of MI-based
activities into EFL reading classes proved to be successful in terms of influencing
40 DWWLWXGHV¶ RI PRVW VWXGHQWV¶ LQ D SRVLWLYH ZD\ (YHQ WKRXJK WKH WHDFKHUV LQWHUYLHZHG
considered that low levels of motivation had nothing to do with the types of activities
XVHG GXULQJ FRQYHQWLRQDO FODVVHV WKH VWXGHQWV¶ SUH DQG SRVW-test results proved
differently. Not only did the overall motivation and, consequently, participation in class
improve after the implementation of MI-based activities, but also most students
expressed their willingness to continue with this new teaching methodology.
As previously expected, on the negative side, using MI-based activities required a lot of
time and preparation; sometimes it was very hard to design tasks specifically related to
the subjects treated. Nevertheless, I consider that, all in all, efforts made paid off, as
positive changes in many aspects showed as far as post-test results were concerned,
HVSHFLDOO\ LQ WHUPV RI VWXGHQWV¶ PRWLYDWLRQ DQG PRUH SRVLWLYH DWWLWXGHV WRZDUGV EFL
reading-based classes. Bearing in mind that only four MI-based sessions were
implemented bringing such results (despite the previous opinions of the teachers
interviewed, that it was nearly impossible to get their students more motivated, unless
text or methods of evaluation were changed), it could be assumed that even better
results could possibly be achieved if MI-based methodology would be applied over the
whole course. However, for this to happen, both teachers and schools would need to be
willing to get engaged in the process. On the one hand, teachers would have to spend
many hours preparing activities linked to MI according to the programme of the subject;
besides, schools would have to trust their teachers in the application of new techniques
over a long period of time, in order to check whether positive results could be achieved.
Even though, realistically, this still seems to be rather complicated to be carried out in
practice, I would still like to underline the positives of using MI-based activities in EFL
reading classes.
Making use of different skills and competences by engaging in varied activities has
several benefits. Thus, my suggestion of changing the nature of EFL reading classes, in
RUGHUWRDGDSWWKHPWRVWXGHQWV¶QHHGVLVDLPHGDWmaking engagement with texts and,
consequently, reading more meaningful and motivating. All students are different; they
all, thus display different strengths and weaknesses as far as classroom environment is
concerned. Even though reading should still remain the main focus of EFL reading
classes, the possibility of being able to employ other abilities would not only be
motivating to students, but also could potentially bring better results in terms of learning.
With MI activities, different skills giving students enough confidence to participate more
actively could be enhanced. On the other hand, new skills and competences ± useful not
only in EFL classroom, but also in cross-curricular and real life contexts ± could be
acquired and developed over the course.
41 In addition, MI-EDVHG DFWLYLWLHV FRXOG DOVR UHLQIRUFH VWXGHQWV¶ LPSOLFDWLRQ ZLWK WH[WV DV
they help to approach different topics from a broader perspective. Making references to
a more general context, in terms of dealing with issues present in texts from various
points of view, could make students appreciate more the importance of the topics treated
and their relevance to real life. Therefore, if students could both become more interested
in the issues that text used in EFL reading classes deal with and more participate by
using a number of abilities, there would be a bigger chance of improving their
productivity in terms of EFL learning. Moreover, not only could they enhance the use of
different skills, but also, consequently, the key competences required by the LOE could
be developed. It is important to bear in mind that motivated and interested students are
likely to make more effort to succeed, despite their personal strengths and weaknesses.
Said this, even though this study is not exhaustive, it could offer a basis for further
investigation in connection with the relationship between motivation in MI-based reading
classes and learning results.
42 9. Bibliography
Akinyemi, R. (2008). Rainforests. Oxford Bookworms Stage 2. University Press: Madrid
Albero, P, Brown, A, Eliason, S & Wind, J. (1997). Improving reading through the use
of multiple intelligences. Dissertation/Theses. ED 410 522 (ERIC)
Armstrong, T. (2009). Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom. Alexandria: ASCD.
Bahous, R, Bacha, N. N & Nabhani, M. (2011). Motivating students in the EFL
classroom: a case study of perspectives. English Language Teaching, 4 (3), pp. 3343.
Broderick, P & Allen, R. (2000). Multiple intelligences classroom. Trade Journals, 95
(6)
CEFR. (2001). Common European Framework of Reference for Language Teaching:
Learning, Teaching, Assessment. Strasburg: Cambridge University Press.
Escott, J. (2008). London. Oxford Bookworms Stage 1. Oxford University Press:
Madrid
European Council. The Key Competences for Lifelong Learning ± A European
Framework annex (2006). The Official Journal of the European Union. L394
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2006/l_394/l_
39420061230en00100018.pdf
Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of Mind: the Theory of Multiple Intelligences. New York:
Basic Books, Inc.
Hardy-Gould, J. (2008). Henry the VIII and His Six Wives. Oxford Bookworms Stage
2. Oxford University Press: Madrid
Hatch, T. (1997). Getting specific about multiple intelligences. Educational
Leadership, 54 (6), pp. 26-29.
Herbe, R, Thielenhouse, M & Wykert, T. (2002). Improving student motivation in
reading through the use of multiple intelligences. Dissertations/Theses. ED 471 576
(ERIC)
,PSOHPHQWDWLRQ RI ³(GXFDWLRQ DQG 7UDLQLQJ ´ :RUN 3URJUDPPH 3URJUHVV
progress report of the European Commission Expert on key competences, their
framework and foreign language teaching.
http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/2010/doc/basicframe.pdf
James C., A. (1995). The application of multiple intelligences theory to reading
instruction. Viewpoints. ED 402 563 (ERIC)
Ley Orgánica de Educación (LOE) 2/2006, 3 MAY
http://www.boe.es/aeboe/consultas/bases_datos/doc.php?id=BOE-A-2006-7899
43 Mettetal, G, Jordan, C & Harper, S. (1997). Attitudes toward a multiple intelligence
curriculum. The Journal of Educational Research, 91 (2), pp. 115-122.
Pintrich, P.R. & Schunk, D. H. (2006), Motivación en contextos educativos. Teoría,
investigación y aplicaciones. Madrid: Pearson Education.
Pokey, S. (2003). Multiple Intelligences for every classroom. Intervention in School
and Clinic, 39 (2), pp. 80-85.
Reidel, J, Tomaszewski, T & Weaver, D. (2003). Improving student academic
reading achievement through the use of multiple intelligence teaching strategies.
Dissertations/Theses. ED 479 204 (ERIC)
Rubado, Karen. (2002). Empowering students through multiple intelligences.
Claiming Children and Youth, 10 (4), pp. 233-235.
Silver, H, Strong, R & Perini, M. (1997). Integrating learning styles and multiple
intelligences. Educational Leadership, 55 (1), pp. 22-27.
Simeone, W. F. (1995). Accomodating multiple intelligences in the English
classroom. The English Journal, 84 (8), pp. 60-62.
Steinmayr, R. & Spinath, B. (2009). The importance of motivation as a predictor of
school achievement. Learning and Individual Differences, 19, 80-90.
Valle, A, Cabanach, R. G, Núñez, J. C, González, J, Rodríguez and Piñeiro, I.
(2003). Multiple goals, motivation and academic learning. British Journal of
Educational Psychology, 73, 71-87.
Videos from YouTube used in MI-based Sessions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yg3W11G4In0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrcU514z6nM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyO1driLF-8&feature=related
44 10. Appendix
6WXGHQW¶V:RUNVKHHW
Session 1
1. Introduction: listen to the sounds of the rainforests and introduction to the text at the
same time. While you are listening to your classmate reading, think about what is this
introduction about and what sensation do the sounds transmit to you.
-Is there any important message intended for you by the author? Try to find a sentence
that, in your opinion, constitutes the key to the significance of reading this text. Why is it
so important?
µ,Q:LOGQHVVLVWKH3UHVHUYDWLRQRIWKH:RUOG¶
Work in groups and fill in the gaps with the words given below. Some definitions are
given to make the task easier. A representative of each group has to write the answers
RQWKHEODFNERDUGRIWKHLUJURXSHJ$JRRG%«HWF7KHQZDWFKWKHYLGHRDERXW
rainforests and try to correct your answers, check in class.
The rainforests: beautiful, mysterious, A)________ . Time B)________ from a golden
age long since past that carry the C)___________ of millions of years of evolution. They
are home to half of all the living D)________ RQHDUWKDQG\HWVRPXFKRIWKHUDLQIRUHVWV¶
ellaborate way of life is waiting to be discovered. But even more E)_____________ are
the forces of work in the rainforest; forces so powerful they echoe around the world. For
the past one 100. 000 000 years rainforests have played a F) _________ in creating the
ideal climate for the evolution of life: not only do they G)__________ the bounty of our
past, we know now they hold the very key to the future of our world.
Mystifying ± something that makes you confused, but at the same time attracts your
attention
Enigmatic- mysterious, hard to explain
Safeguard ± to protect
Capsules ± a container
Pivotal role ± major role
Species ± a class of individuals or animals having common characteristics/of the same
kind
Genetic Inheritance ± acquisition/reception of genetic qualities by transmission
3. Brainstorm: What do we know about rainforests? Why rainforests are important to us?
4. Work in pairs and mark whether the following statements TRUE (T) or FALSE (F)?
Check answers in class and give the correct alternatives for the false statements.
1. It is hot and wet in the rainforests.
2. In 1950 half oIWKHZRUOG¶VUDLQIRUHVWVGLVDSSHDUHG
3. We know everything about the plants and trees in the rainforest.
4. People use fire to destroy the rainforest trees.
45 5. People cut down rainforest trees to make houses for themselves.
6. People want to use the land of rainforests for towns and roads.
7. We have a lot of time to save the rainforests.
8. Some animals are dying because people are destroying rainforests.
9. Rainforests are necessary only for the animals and people that live there.
10. Rainforests are necessary for us because they produce much of the air that we
breathe.
11. We cannot do anything to save rainforests.
6WXGHQW¶V:RUNVKHHW
Session 2
1. Work collaboratively in small groups and fill in the missing information as fast as
possible. Try to find the answers to the questions below and then let one of your groub
memebrs run to the blackboard to write it down. Bear in mind that you can only write one
answer at a time and you have to come back to your place afterwards in order to
continue with the search for information.
Points are counted after the answers to each of the questions are provided by all groups
in the follwoing manner. Who gets the correct answer first: 2 points. Who gets the correct
answer second: 1 point. Who gets the wrong answer : -1. No answer: 0. The group that
gets most points at the end wins.
1. Where are the three largest rainforests on Earth?
a.
b.
C.
2. What kind RI UDUH SULPDWH VSHFLHV LV FRPPRQ LQ 0DGDJDVFDU¶V UDLQIRUHVW? How many
species of this animal are there in Madagascar?
3. ________________ river is the second largest river in the world. There are more
than___________________species of fish in the Amazon River.
4. It took ___________years for Indonesia to loose half of its rainforests. (Choose the
correct answer among the options below)
52
46
72
45
5. In how many years half a million square kilometres of the Amazon rainforest
disappeared? (Choose the correct answer from the options below)
28 26
45 47
6. Which is the hottest rainforest of all?
46 7. The Amazon rainforest has more species of__________________ than any other place
on earth.
8. Which river runs through the second largest rainforest on earth?
9. Which two species of animals mentioned in the text are disappearing fast and where
exactly do they live?
10. In which continents can you find temperate rainforests?
a.
b.
2. Listen to the song. What is it about?
3. Working in groups, formulate 3 sentences summarizing the main ideas of the song
and using your own words. Write them down in the spaces below and do not forget
WKDW\RXKDYHWREDVHRQO\RQWKHLGHDVWKDWDUHDFWXDOO\LQWKHVRQJ'RQ¶WWUDQVFULEH
the subtitles or use metaphorical language of the lyrics: elaborate the ideas explain
them in your own words in detail.
For example: Animals can feel pain too and they are suffering when loosing their home.
Therefore, rainforests should be protected for the sake of the animals that live there, as
ZHZRXOGQ¶WZDQWWREHLQWKHLUSODFH
1_____________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________
2_____________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________
3_____________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________
6WXGHQW¶V:RUNVKHHW
Session 3
1. Below, there is a short text comprised of three paragraphs explaining the main issues
related to the extinction of rainforests. Work in three groups on the paragraph
assigned to you by the teacher.
First of all, write definition of the words corresponding to your paragraphs, that
DSSHDUEHORZLQEROGLQ\RXURZQZRUGV,I\RXGRQ¶WNQRZZKDWWKH\PHDQ\RXFDQ
use dictionary. Afterwards, rewrite the paragraph in your own words and include your
47 own examples and explanations! When you are finished, you will have to read your
µUHSRUW¶WR\RXUFODVVPDWHV
For example:
Rainforests currently provide sources for one-fourth of today¶s
medicines, and 70 percent of the plants found to have anticancer
properties are found only in the rainforest.
MY REPORT:
Nowadays rainforests give us a lot of medicine ± even ¼ of it! More
importantly, even 70% of medicines for curing cancer can be found in
rainforests! Therefore, if rainforests disappeared it would be very difficult
to get enough medicines and many people would die.
a. The scale of human pressures on ecosystems everywhere has increased in the
last few decades. Since 1980 the global economy has tripled in size and the world
population has increased by 30 percent. Consumption of everything on the planet
has risen ± at a cost to our ecosystems.
b. In 2001, it was estimated that the demand for rice, wheat, and corn is expected to
grow by 40% by 2020, increasing water demands by 50% or more. They further
reported that the demand for wood could double by the year 2050; unfortunately, it is
still the tropical forests of the world that supply most of the world¶s demand for wood.
c. Massive deforestation brings with it many ugly consequences: air and water
pollution, soil erosion, malaria epidemics, the release of carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere, the eviction of indigenous Indian tribes, and the loss of biodiversity
through extinction of plants and animals. Fewer rainforests mean less rain, less
oxygen for us to breathe, and an increased threat from global warming.
DecadesTripledWorld populationConsumptionEcosystemDemandIncreasingFurtherSupplyPollutionSoilReleaseEvictionThreat-
48 2. You can either read along in silence or listen to the Audio CD covering Chapter
Two of the text Rainforests. Write down two facts that seem to you most interesting
and surprising. Afterwards, we will discuss them together in class.
- Read/Listen to the parWRIWKHWH[WZKHUHLWLVH[SODLQHGKRZUDLQIRUHVWV¶WUHHVKHOS
in balancing the heat.
- How much do you know about global warming? Could you draw a scheme/picture
on the blackboard depicting how it occurs? Allow your classmate try to explain your
drawing in his/ her own words? Ask your classmates for help, if needed.
3. :DWFK WKH YLGHR µ$QLPDOV 6DYH WKH 3ODQHW¶ IURP <RX7XEH 7KLQN RI WKH ZD\ LQ
which you in particular or all of us together could help in saving the planet. Describe
it in more detail giving examples. For homework, write a short paragraph at home,
which you will have to hand in to your teacher.
For example:
It would be better if we used our own bags when going food-shopping. Buying a lot of
plastic bags every time we buy food is bad because it produces a lot of rubbish,
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«««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««
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6WXGHQW¶V:RUNVKHHW
Session 4: Number 1
Read the text about the Enawene-Nawe People and find information that you need in
relation to the question assigned to you. Use your own words to transcribe it and try to
remember it. Later you will have to make a presentation related to this information along
ZLWKRWKHUPHPEHUVRIµ\RXUWULEH¶LQIURQWRIWKHFODVV
The Enawene-Nawe People
The Enawene-Nawe are indigenous people of Brazil, who live by fishing and gathering in
the state of of Mato Grosso state, in an indigenous land. The clans are the broadest unit
of Enawene-Nawe social structure, they are based on matriarchal structure. After
PDUULDJH KXVEDQG KDV WR JR WR OLYH ZLWK KLV ZLYH¶V family. Clans perform important
matrimonial, ritual, economic and political functions, thus functioning separately from one
another.
49 Numbering around 500, the Enawene-Nawe are perhap, best known for their unique
fishing techniques. During the fishing season, Enawene Nawe men build dams across
rivers and spend several months camped nearby, catching and smoking the fish. Fish is
an essential part of the Enawene Nawe diet and their culture, rituals of exchanging fish
between humans and spirits take four months! The Enawene-Nawe are also well known
for the fact that they do not hunt or consume any red meat. The area surrounding a village
is a good place for gathering fruits, insects, fungi, honey and other resources.
The Enawene-Nawe make skirts and bracelets from the cotton they plant. They paint their
skirts and bodies red with dye made from rainforest plants. On special occasions they also
use black dye, made from the fruit of the genipap tree. Their hair is normally long, always
carefully maintained with a fringe, a shaved patch above the ear and long at the back.
Animal teeth, fruits and bird feathers, especially those of red macaws, parrots, curassows
and hawks, adorn the necklaces and headdresses. The Enawene-Nawe breed birds
whose feathers they remove to make the necklaces, the birds do not need to be killed.
The women have two half-moons tattooed on either side of the navel, wear cotton skirts,
black tucum bands around the waist and shell earrings. Men also wear triangular shell or
black stone earrings. The men use a sheath to cover their intimate parts. Appearing
without this sheath is deemed shameful, like being naked, and boys start using the sheath
when they enter adolescence.
The Enawene-Nawe ritual calendar is intimately connected to their economic activities.
The entire society maintains a constant exchange relationship between ritual groups and
spirits, which takes place through an annual cycle of rituals. To bury the dead the
Enawenê-nawê make an urn from trees, shaped into a tube of the dead person¶VKHLJKW
This moment is marked by sobbing, wailing, comments, cries and gestures. A crowd of
people tend to gather around the dead person. After the funeral ceremonies are over, the
urn is placed in a deep grave dug inside the house, precisely under the spot where the
dead person had been sleeping before. Alongside the deceased are buried his or her
belongings and/or objects of personal use: necklaces, headdresses, clothing, bow and
DUURZ D[H PDFKHWH %DVLFDOO\ DQ\WKLQJ DQGHYHU\WKLQJWKDW WKH SHUVRQ¶V kin identify as
an object capable of transmitting a memory of the dead person, is burried. People also
VWRS SURQRXQFLQJ WKH SHUVRQ¶V QDPH $IWHU D SHUVRQ¶V GHDWK KLV RU KHU FORVHVW IDPLO\
perform a ritual crying at certain times of the day for a number of weeks expressing thus
their sadness for the death.
1. Enawene-Nawe Community (community structure, their relationships, style of living)
2. Eating Habits
-Rituals related to food
-:KDWNLQGRIIRRGGRWKH\HDW":KDWNLQGRIIRRGWKH\GRQ¶WHDW"
3. Appearance and dressing style
4. Spirituality and rituals (death rituals)
6WXGHQW¶V:RUNVKHHW
Session 4: Number 2
Read the text about the Penan People and find information that you need in relation to the
question assigned to you. Use your own words to transcribe it and try to remember it.
50 Later you will have to make a presentation related to this information along with other
PHPEHUVRIµ\RXUWULEH¶LQIURQWRIWKHFODVV
The Penan People
The Penan are a gentle and softly spoken people with a highly egalitarian society and little
gender division. There are no social classes or hierarchies. There is no wealth or poverty,
and all food is shared. Each band has a headman who acts as a spokesperson but wields
no power. Although certain tasks are reserved for men and others for women, there is no
obvious sexual inequality. Both men and women are gentle and soft-spoken. Outsiders
who observe them are invariably struck by the complete absence of violence among the
Penan.
The Penan move in groups of up to 40 people, but groups form and split regularly as sago
palm flour is sought from different areas in their territory. Groups of nomadic Penan move
through different territories, some groups are just a family of five or six, others have up to
SHRSOH7KHVHSHRSOHGRQ¶WKDYHPDny possessions - everything is carried in simple,
strong backpacks made from palm leaves. Even small children have to carry packs.
The nomadic Penan practice neither agriculture nor animal husbandry. Although they
keep pets, there is a strict taboo against eating any domesticated animal. Thus all of their
dietary protein comes from hunting and fishing. The Penan hunt and eat a wide variety of
forest animals, including birds, squirrels, monkeys, lizards, and barking deer. But the most
prized game animal is the bearded pig. Sometimes weighing more than a hundred kilos,
one of these animals can supply enough meat to feed a nomadic group for several days.
While only males go hunting, men, women, and children all help in the production of sago.
Traditional Penan society is nomadic and survives by hunting and gathering. Only a
handful of such societies remain on earth. Until a few decades ago, thousands of Penan
wandered through the forests of Borneo's interior. Today, only a small number of them
continue to practice this ancient lifestyle. Yet while most Penan now have permanent
homes by the riversides, they continue to make long journeys into the forest to collect
food, medicine, and other jungle products. Now, only Penan elders dress in anything
approaching traditional dress, bands on their legs and wrists and large holes in their
earlobes. Traditional tattoos are common still. Few Penan now go barefoot, most wear
cheap, plastic football boots, which are now considered to be the best thing in the jungle.
The Penan have been converting to Christianity since the 1930s. The Penan were often
told that Christianity was a religion of protection, and for them it is often the act of prayer
that counts, not the belief itself. Belief in myths and spirits are still very strong in some
places, although traditional creation myths and concepts of heaven and hell are seldom
discussed. Festivals are not part of traditional Penan culture nowadays. But many years
ago, blood pacts were made, usually as part of political agreements between Penan
leaders and neighbouring tribes. Leaders mixed blood with tobacco and smoked it
together, thus making pacts of peace and preventing future conflict. If this pact was
broken, it was believed that leader would start vomiting of blood die violently. Similar
rituals relate to stopping bad luck in hunting trips or to end a period of unsuccessful hunts.
1.Egalitarian society (relationships among the community members, among men and
women)
2.Nomadic society (How and where do they live?)
-Now:
-Before:
3. What eating habits do these people have? How do they survive and work?
4. Spiritual life :
51 -Nowadays (Christianity)
-Before (Blood Pacts)
6WXGHQW¶V:RUNVKHHW
Session 4: Number 3
Read the text about the Yanomami People and find information that you need in relation
to the question assigned to you. Use your own words to transcribe it and try to remember
it. Later you will have to make a presentation related to this information along with other
PHPEHUVRIµ\RXUWULEH¶LQIURQWRIWKe class.
The Yanomami People
The Yanomami are an ancient indigenous people living in the Amazon regions of Brazil
and Venezuela. Today, there are approximately 26,000 Yanomami living along the
Brazilian-Venezuelan border. The Yanomami live in 350 different villages in the forest.
Every 3-4 years they change their place of living to look for a new area where start
gardens on new and fertile ground. The Brazilians call them the most primitive people in
the world, because the Yanomami have lived in a totally isolation from the outside world
for years and so have kept their traditions. The Yanomami live in many small villages,
grouped by families. The distance between villages may vary from a few hours walk to a
WHQ¶GD\ZDON A community has no chief but every family has a speaker, which stands up
for the interest of his people. There is a shaman who heals diseases and gives protection
against bad daemons. If there are differences of opinion which can´t be settled, the
families have the right to get separated from the community and live in their won village.
The Yanomani don´t wear clothes. They walk around naked only wearing a think cord
around their hips. To decorate their faces, they put flowers and little sticks through nose
and ears. If a member of the community dies, the others burn the dead body and pulverize
the bones to powder. The Yanomami believe that only this way the soul of the dead will be
free and find peace. The Yanomami are using very simple tools, taking food from the
forest by hunting, fishing, and collecting fruit, insects, frogs and other things. The
traditional Yanomami diet is very low in salt. The Yanomani never kill for stock, only for
food. Women collect plants, fish and cultivate their gardens or little fields. Some of the
crops grown include sweet potatoes, bananas, sugar cane and tobacco. Men hunt pumas,
chicken birds and other animals. Yanomami women are expected to bear and raise many
children, who are expected to help their mothers with domestic chores from a very young
age, and mothers rely very much on help from their daughters.
The Yanomami people's traditions are shaped by the belief that the natural and spiritual
worlds are a unified force; nature creates everything, and is sacred. They believe that their
fate, and the fate of all people, is inescapably linked to the fate of the environment. Rituals
are a very important part of Yanomami culture. The Yanomami celebrate a good harvest
with a big feast to which nearby villages are invited. The Yanomami villagers prepare
huge amounts of food, which helps to maintain good relations with their neighbors. They
also decorate their bodies with feathers and flowers. During the feast, the Yanomami eat a
lot, and the women dance and sing late into the night.
War and violence make up a large part of Yanomami life. About 40% of adult males have
killed another person and about 25% of adult males will die from some form of violence.
Sometimes they fight among their own communities to capture women, so that their best
warriors can maximize their reproductive success. Although many ceremonies exclude
52 female involvement or participation, they are a large part of the preparation. In preparation
for large ceremonies, Yanomami women make alcoholic drinks for the men. In the
Yanomami society, marriage ceremonies are almost non-existent and are not celebrated
in any way, it is a polygomous sociey as men can have many wives. A girl can be
promised to a man at an age as young as five or six, however cannot officially be married
off until the period of puberty. The female goes to live with her spouse, and must perform
the chores and duties she previously did for her mother.
1. The Yanomami community (How and where do they live?)
2. Violence and men-women relationships
3. How do they look like? How do they dress?
4. Spirituality and rituals
53 Profesores: Entrevista sobre las Clases de Lectura en Inglés
Opiniones sobre la lectura en general (Opinions in relation to reading in general)
1. ¿Piensas que es importante leer? ¿Por qué?
2. ¿Piensas que hoy en día los niños leen mucho por placer? Si es que sí, qué tipo de
textos les interesan más, desde tu punto de vista? Si piensas que no leen apenas,
¿cuáles podrían ser las razones en tu opinión?
Opiniones sobre las preferencias de los estudiantes en cuanto al uso de diferentes
habilidades (2SLQLRQVDERXWVWXGHQWV¶SUHIHUHQFHVLQUHODWLRQWRWKHXVHRIGLIIHUHQWVNLOOV
3. Desde tu punto de vista, ¿con qué actividades los alumnos suelen disfrutar e implicarse
más en en general en el colegio?
4. En tu opinión, ¿de qué manera los alumnos suelen aprender más y quedarse con la
información el mayor tiempo posible?
5. ¿Desde tu punto de vista, ¿qué habilidades, aparte de la competencia lingüística,
pueden desarrollar los alumnos en las clases de lectura? ¿Pueden aprender algo que
les sirva para otras asignaturas?
Información relacionada con la naturaleza de las clases de lectura y la manera en la que se
llevan a cabo (Information in relation to the nature of EFL reading classes)
6. ¿Cuáles son los objetivos principales de las clases de lectura en inglés?
7. ¿Cómo se lleva a cabo la evaluación en relación a los textos tratados en clase? En tu
opinión, la forma en la que se evaluan las clases de lectura, ¿afecta la actitud de los
alumnos hacia las clases?
8. ¿Soléis discutir el contexto de los textos y analizarlo de manera crítica en clase?
9. ¿Qué te parece el contenido de los textos que se usan en la clase? ¿Cuántos puntos
otorgarías a su capacidad de enseñar pensamiento crítico a los alumnos (de 1 a 5) y su
atractivo para los adolescentes?
54 3DUWLFLSDFLyQ\PRWLYDFLyQGHORVDOXPQRVHQODVFODVHVGHOHFXUD6WXGHQWV¶SDUWLFLSDWLRQ
and motivation in EFL reading classes)
10. ¿Piensas que los alumnos del 2º de la ESO estan motivados con las clases de lectura
en inglés en general? Qué, según tu, es lo que más y menos les gusta en esas clases?
11. ¿Es suficiente la participación por parte de los alumnos durante las clases de lectura?
12. Desde tu punto de vista, ¿cuáles podrían ser las razones por las que algunos alumnos
participan mucho, mientras otros ± poco o nada?
13. En tu opinión, ¿se podría incrementar la motivación de los alumnos de alguna manera?
Si tuvieras poder de cambiar algo en relación a las clases de lectura en inglés, ¿lo
harías? Si es que sí, ¿qué sería?
14. Piensas que, si los alumnos tuvieran la oportunidad de elegir los textos que estudiar
durante las clases de lectura en inglés, ¿se motivarían y participarían más?
15. Desde tu punto de vista, ¿trabajo en grupos con actividades que impliquen movimiento
podría ser beneficioso para la mayoría de clase o, por el contrario, podría irrumpir el
orden y la disciplina?
55 $OXPQRV&XHVWLRQDULRµ3UH-7HVW¶VREUHODV&ODVHVGH/HFWXUDHQ,QJOpV
Las preferencias de los estudiantes en cuanto al uso de distintas habilidades (6WXGHQWV¶
preferences in relation to the use of different skills)
1. ¿Qué tipo de actividades en el colegio te suelen gustar más? En las que tengo que:
a. Hablar
b. Leer
c. Escuchar
d. Escribir
e. Otro (Especifíca««««««««««««««««
2. ¿Qué tipo de actividades en el colegio te suelen gustar menos? En las que tengo que:
a. Hablar
b. Leer
c. Escuchar
d. Escribir
H2WUR(VSHFLItFD««««««««««««««««
3. A la hora de estudiar,¿de que manera de resulta más fácil para aprender y quedarte con la
información durante el mayor tiempo posible?
a. Leyendo
b. Escuchando audio o viendo video
c. Escribiendo
d. Hablando/Discutiendo la información con otros
e. Otro (VSHFLItFD««««««««««««««««
4. ¿Qué actividad, piensas, que se te da mejor en inglés?
a. Leer
b. Captar información escuchando audios y viendo videos
c. Escribir
d. Hablar/Participar en discusiones
e. Otro (VSHFLItFD««««««««««««««««
Opiniones sobre la utilidad de las clases de lectura en Inglés en relación a la vida real
(Opinions about usefulness of EFL reading classes in relation to real life)
5. ¿Para qué, en tu opinión, sirven las clases de lectura en inglés?
a. Mejoran comprensión lectora y amplían vocabulario de inglés
c. Mejoran varias destrezas y habilidades y aprendo mucho sobre contenido
c. No sirven para nada
G2WUR(VSHFLItFD««««««««««««««««
6. En lo que se refiere al contenido de cada texto que tratáis en clase, ¿alguna vez te paras a
pensar en su contexto más general o su relevancia en el mundo real?
56 a. Sí, reflexiono sobre cómo los problemas que plantea el texto reflejan la realidad
b. Sólo me centro en lo que dice el texto
c. No le presto mucha atención al contenido, porque me parece poco interesante
d. Los textos que tratamos tienen poco que ver con la realidad
7. ¿Te motivan las clases de lectura para interesarte más sobre los temas tratados en casa o
leer por placer?
a. No
b. Sí, me interesa saber más sobre los temas tratados y suelo leer más por placer
c. Sí me intereso más sobre los temas tratados, pero no suelo leer más por placer
d. No me intereso más por los temas tratados en clase, pero sí suelo leer más por placer sobre otros
temas
Motivación en las clases de lectura en Inglés (Motivation in EFL reading classes)
8. ¿Te gustan las clases de lectura y la manera en la que se llevan a cabo? Evalúa en la escala
de uno a cinco (siendo 1 ´no me gustan nada´y 5 ± µPHHQFDQWDQ¶
__ __ __ __ __
1
2
3
4
5
9. ¿Te motivan las clases de lectura para aprender más inglés? Evalúa en la escala de uno a
FLQFRVLHQGRµQRPHPRWLYDQQDGD¶\ 5 ± µPHPRWLYDQPXFKR¶
__ __ __ __ __
1
2
3
4
5
10. ¿En qué caso, en tu opinión, se podría incrementar la motivación en la clase?
a. Cambiando los libros de texto, que los alumnos tengan derecho participar en su elección
b. Cambiando el tipo de actividades para estudiar los textos
c. Puntuarían más las clases de lectura en la evaluación final
d. Hay suficiente motivación, no hace fata incrementarla
11. ¿Te gustaría seguir dando las clases de lectura de la manera que se han dado siempre?
a. Sí, me gustan y me parecen útiles
b. No, me gustaría probar otro tipo de actividades
c. Me da igual
d. No lo sé
Participación en clase (Participation in class)
12. ¿Sueles participar en la clase leyendo en alto o respondiendo a las preguntas?
a. Sí, siempre
b. A veces
c. Nunca
d. Antes lo hacía, pero ya no
13. ¿En qué actividad te gusta más participar durante la clase?
a. Lectura en voz alta
b. Respuestas a las preguntas sobre la comprensión del contenido
57 c. Ambas
d. Ninguna
Actitudes hacia la lectura en general (Attitudes Towards Reading in general)
14. ¿Sueles leer por placer fuera de clase?
a. Sí, y me gusta mucho
b. A veces
c. Casi nunca por falta de tiempo
d. No, es aburrido leer
15. ¿Qué piensas sobre lectura en inglés general?
a. Es una actividad placentera, pero no sé si es útil
b. Es una actividad placentera y útil
c. Es una actividad útil, pero nada placentera
d. No me gusta y no creo que sea nada útil
58 $OXPQRV&XHVWLRQDULRµPost-7HVW¶VREUHODV&ODVHVGH/HFWXUDHQ,QJOpV
con Actividades Basadas en las Inteligencias Multiples
Las preferencias de los estudiantes en cuanto al uso de distintas habilidades (StuGHQWV¶
preferences in relation to the use of different skills)
1. ¿Qué tipo de actividades en el colegio te suelen gustar más? Las que implican:
a. Hablar
b. Leer
c. Audio
d. Escribir
e. Otro (VSHFLItFD«««««««««««««««««
2. ¿Qué tipo de actividades en el colegio te suelen gustar menos? En las que tengo que:
a. Hablar
b. Leer
c. Escribir
d. Escuchar
e. Otro (VSHFLItFD«««««««««««««««««
3. A la hora de estudiar, ¿de que manera de resulta más fácil para aprender y quedarte con la
información durante el mayor tiempo posible?
a. Leyendo
b. Escuchando
c. Escribiendo
d. Compartiendo/Discutiendo la información con otros
e. Otro (VSHFLItFD«««««««««««««««««
4. ¿Qué actividad, piensas, que se te da mejor en inglés?
a. Leer
b. Escribir
c. Captar información escuchando audios y viendo videos
d. Hablar/Participar en discusiones
e. Otro (VSHFLItFD«««««««««««««««««
Opiniones sobre la utilidad de las clases de lectura en Inglés en relación a la vida real
(Opinions about usefulness of EFL reading classes in relation to real life)
5. ¿Para qué, en tu opinión, han servido las clases basadas en Rainforests?
a. Para mejorar comprensión lectora y ampliar vocabulario de inglés
b. Para mejorar varias destrezas y habilidades y aprender mucho sobre el contenido
c. No han servido para nada
d. Otro (VSHFLItFD««««««««««««««««««
59 6. En lo que se refiere a los temas relacionados con las selvas tropicales que habéis tratado en
clase, ¿te has parado a pensar en su contexto más general o su relevancia en el mundo real?
a. Sí, he reflexionado mucho sobre cómo los problemas planteados reflejan la realidad
b. Sólo me he centrado en lo que dice el texto
c. No le he prestado mucha atención al contenido, porque me ha parecido poco interesante
d. Los temas tratados y el texto en sí tienen poco que ver con la realidad
7. ¿Te han motivado las clases basadas en Rainforests para interesarte más sobre los temas
tratados y leer más por placer?
a. No
b. Sí, me interesa saber más sobre los temas tratados y estoy motivado para leer más
c. Sí, me interesa saber más sobre los temas tratados, pero no quiero leer más por placer
d. No me interesa saber más sobre los temas tratados, pero me inspira leer más sobre otros
temas
Motivación en las clases de lectura en Inglés (Motivation in EFL reading classes)
8. ¿Te han gustado las clases basadas en el texto Rainforests y la manera en la que se han
llevado a cabo? Evalúa en la escala de uno a cinco (siendo 1 ´no me han gustado nada´y 5 ± µPH
han encDQWDGR¶
__ __ __ __ __
1 2 3 4 5
9. ¿Te han motivado las clases de lectura de Rainforests para aprender más inglés? Evalúa en la
HVFDODGHXQRDFLQFRVLHQGRµQDGD~WLOHV\± µPX\~WLOHV¶
__ __ __ __ __
1
2
3
4
5
10. Teniendo en cuenta las clases basadas en Rainforests ¿En qué caso, en tu opinión, se
SRGUtDLQFUHPHQWDUP¶DVODPRWLYDFLyQHQODFODVH"
a. Cambiando los libros de texto, que los alumnos tengan derecho participar en su elección
b. Cambiando el tipo de actividades para estudiar los textos
c. Puntuarían más las clases de lectura en la evaluación final
d. Hay suficiente motivación, no hace falta incrementarla
11. ¿Te gustaría seguir dando las clases de lectura de la manera que se han llevado a cabo con
Rainforests?
a. Sí, porque me han gustado y me han parecido útiles
b. No, me gustaría probar otro tipo de actividades
c. Me da igual
d. No lo sé
Participación en clase (Participation in class)
12. Desde que hemos empezado usar el texto Rrainforests, ¿has participado en la clase de
manera activa haciendo las actividades?
a. Sí, siempre
b. A veces
c. Nunca
60 d. No, aunque antes lo hacía
13. ¿En qué actividades te ha gustado más participar más durante la clase?
a. Relacionadas con videos y canciones
b. Relacionadas directamente con el contenido del texto
c. Relacionadas con lecturas más allá del texto
d. Creativas/competiciones basadas en mis propias actitudes o comprensión de los temas
tratados (presentaciones, redacciones)
e. Todas
f. Ninguna
Actitudes hacia la lectura en general (Attitudes Towards Reading in general)
14. ¿Sueles leer por placer fuera de clase?
a. Sí, y me gusta mucho
b. A veces
c. Casi nunca por falta de tiempo
d. No, es aburrido leer
15. ¿Qué piensas sobre lectura en inglés en general?
a. Es una actividad placentera, pero no sé si es útil
b. Es una actividad placntera e útil
c. Es una actividad útil, pero nada placentera
d. No me gusta y no creo que sea nada útil
61 62