The English Studies Department Considers the Value of Adapting
Κολέγιο CITY College
Main Campus, Thessaloniki, Greece
24 October 2019

The English Studies Department Considers the Value of Adapting

1st Personal and Professional Seminar for academic year 2019-20

The English Studies Department’s first Personal and Professional Development Seminar for the 2019-2020 academic year commenced Tuesday, 22 October, 2019 with an engaging thematic area significant to teachers and learners. Our guest speaker and staff member, Ms Maria Sachpazian delivered an engaging seminar titled: “Reasons and Rationale behind materials’ adaptation in the digital age” thus bringing forward the concept of adapting in the teaching/learning context.

Ms Maria Sachpazian delivered an engaging seminar titled: “Reasons and Rationale behind materials’ adaptation in the digital age”

In nature and in life, to not adapt can result in becoming obsolete to say the least! Similarly, teaching and learning with regard to methods, material, types of assessment, aims, Learning Outcomes, use of technology and more, need to adapt as the components and aspects of teaching and learning change and develop. For teachers, especially novice teachers, the idea of adapting ready-made course books and similar material can appear overwhelming or even unnecessary. And this may be the case as Ms Sachpazian highlights, so one always needs to consider the context. Initially, a teacher needs to know the course book and the material; a SWOT analysis can further help to see what is weak or missing from such material. Next, Ms Sachpazian suggests personalizing the material to ourselves as teachers but more importantly to our students.

Ms. Sachpazian with Dr Marazi, lead organiser of the PPD seminars

Ms. Sachpazian with Dr Marazi, lead organiser of the PPD seminars

Drawing on McGrath (2016), Ms Sachpazian informs that when adapting we need to consider the 3 Es: Extemporation (on the spot-thinking/spontaneous reaction), Extension (quantitative change), Exploration (qualitative change). Of course, this is not done randomly, without rationale, aim, purpose, or considering different parameters of learning such as materials, classroom, steps/stages, time availability, learner level, the teacher’s role and the overall purpose of a course. Teachers, amongst other professions, need to adapt so as to meet their learners’ needs, so as to consider the whole class as well as the individuals that comprise it, to increase learners’ emotional engagement and motivation, to balance certain imbalances, increase exposure and interaction and keep students on their toes. Teachers do this because as Ms Sachpazian confirms they care – or should care – about effective learning and engaged, motivated learners.

More often, adaptation is unprincipled thus lacking in creativity, purpose, rationale, suiting the teacher’s preferences rather than the students. According to Ms Sachpazian, effective lesson planning, lesson preparation and our reflective teaching practices are and can be accompanied by adaptation but it needs to be the right type of adaptation where we: amend, add, supplement or reject BUT deliberate! When our goal is teaching meaningfully we need to adapt – ourselves as well as methods and materials – so as to be relevant, knowledgeable, aware, flexible, effective, creative and productive!

 

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