To make curriculum "sticky," as it is taught at the
Arizona State University’s online TESOL certification, language-teaching
professionals employ various strategies and techniques aimed at enhancing
students' ability to recall, utilize, and retain information effectively. Here
you have some of my reflective journaling notes around the need for stickiness in
a language program.
Crafting Sticky Curriculum
Strategies for Effective Teaching
Presenting
Information and Modeling
Language teachers employ a variety of instructional methods to engage
students and foster deep understanding depending on the focus of the program in
which they work has. For instance, Project-Based Learning (PBL) immerses
students in real-world speaking scenarios, prompting them to tackle complex
problems collaboratively and finding ways to respond correctly in the target
language to various speech events. Experiential learning emphasizes hands-on
experiences, allowing students to apply theoretical knowledge (grammar and
vocabulary) in practical and real-world speaking contexts and scenarios to be
functional in them. Case studies offer in-depth analysis of real-life speaking
situations such as (panel) discussions, encouraging critical thinking and
problem-solving skills. And nowadays, online self-directed language learning
empowers students to take ownership of their learning journey, exploring topics
at their own pace and in their preferred format, anytime, anywhere. However,
the method does not cast the stickiness in a language program, does it?
The Sticky
Criteria
In the search for ways to make curriculum sticky in the learners’ minds
and to develop target language in all students, language professionals must focus
on three key dimensions: memorability, usability, and durability
(also known as MUD). Memorable content is presented in ways that capture
students' attention and facilitate information retention through engaging
activities, anecdotes, or multimedia resources. Usable content equips students
with practical skills and knowledge applicable to real-world scenarios,
fostering competence, mastery, and confidence. Durable content is designed to
withstand the test of time, facilitating long-term retention and application
beyond the classroom setting in true real-world speech events. MUD is the ELT’s
“blazing torch” that needs to guide teachers in the design and production of
activities for their lesson plans.
Breaking
Down Effective Presenting
A language curriculum becomes ideally sticky when teachers employ a range
of cunning strategies to enhance the content retention of their language presentations.
Here you are presented with two possible strategies:
Tip 1 - Emphasize the importance of
clear communication and active engagement. By using teacher talk
effectively, educators ensure that key concepts are reiterated, illustrated
clearly on the board, and linked to students' prior knowledge. Metaphors and
analogies are employed to make abstract concepts more tangible and memorable,
while sweat equity (hard work) is invested in crafting instructional materials
that resonate with learners’ prior knowledge. At this point, the language
instructor must wonder what area of communicative teaching is being eaten up by
teacher talk time (TTT) that is not aiming at boosting student learning. If TTT
is focused on the teacher, content won’t be that sticky.
Tip 2 - Encourage a conversational approach
to teaching, where you facilitate dialogue and interaction rather than
delivering monologues. This approach fosters a collaborative learning
environment where students feel empowered to ask questions, provide feedback,
and participate actively in their own learning process. Once again, do ask
yourself how you are currently handling your TTT as opposed to student talking
time (STT). The maxim one is to keep in mind is the 20/80 distribution of “talking”
in the classroom: 20 minutes for the teacher to quickly explain, guide, give
instructions and feedback, and wrap up lesson sections and 80 minutes for
students to exercise with new content among themselves.
Teacher
Talk and Conversational Teaching
Effective communication is at the heart of sticky teaching. As mentioned
above, the 80/20 talking time balance should be aimed at in any language lesson.
Teachers, by far, need to strike a balance between conveying lexical and
grammatical information and eliciting student participation evenly, ensuring
that classroom interactions are dynamic, memorable, engaging, usable, and
conducive to durability. If there’s dialogue and discussion, language
instructors also help foster critical thinking skills and deepen students'
understanding of the material from textbooks and the language-practicing
platform. But once again, it’s imperative that one, as a language teacher, wonders
how one’s balance of TTT vs. STT is to ensure the latter and its stickiness.
Stimulating
Learners through Activities
Have you ever thought how your board work stimulates or confuses student
understanding? Well, visual aids such as board work, diagrams, and
illustrations need to be employed to enhance understanding and retention of key
concepts. These visual representations serve as valuable tools for scaffolding
learning, providing students with clear visual cues to aid lexical and
grammatical comprehension. Visual aids can help establish clear guidelines for
engagement; they can help to maintain focus and structure during activities
because what needs to be achieved in an activity becomes a more concrete object,
ensuring that students remain actively involved in their learning process.
Language (controlled, semi-controlled, or free production) activities
need to walk, side by side, with the MUD principle for the sake of curriculum
stickiness. Activities become memorable because they can reflect what
the language student will encounter in the real world (like going into a convenience
store to buy a toothbrush). These activities also need to be usable when
the time comes. That is, speaking tasks, for example, need to reflect what
learners may truly find in real-life speech events. And the language being
learned can be easily used in that context. Finally, these activities need to
reinforce durability because it can then be used by learners when
lexical or grammatical units are needed in “the same context in which they were
practiced” or in similar speech events where the students realize they fit in
the conversation.
Structuring
the Learning Experience
A well-structured learning experience in a traditional context where CLT (Communicative
Language Teaching) prevails follows a logical sequence, beginning with the
explanation of grammatical and lexical rules and concepts. Through modeling and
examples, language instructors provide concrete illustrations of abstract
concepts, making them more accessible to learners. Questioning techniques are
used to assess students' comprehension (concept checking) and encourage
critical thinking, prompting deeper engagement with the material.
This ABC in CLT also needs to be “embellished” and must “embody” the idea
of MUD. Language presentations and activities need to be aligned with the
concept of memorability because they will leave a permanent imprint in
the mind of the students. Through modeling (role plays) and examples
(presentation of true cases where the language is used) can reflect the usability
of what is being learned. The stickiness of the language learning process will
simply reflect the durability of what is being acquired since it can be
used to communicate in target language real-life scenarios with confidence and
effectiveness.
Teaching
via Inductive Reasoning
Inductive reasoning involves guiding students through a process of
discovery, allowing them to derive general principles from specific examples.
The self-discovery of lexical and grammatical rules also reinforces the idea of
MUD. By presenting examples on the board and prompting students to identify
patterns and formulate rules, language professionals facilitate active learning
and conceptual understanding. Elaborating on students' ideas and contributions
helps to reinforce learning and deepen understanding through meaningful
dialogue and reflection.
The stickiness of a language curriculum and its delivery in class time by
teachers can also line up with the idea of MUD. Self-discovery or what I like
to call “language epiphanies” are by far the most memorable moments when
one is learning a language. Understanding how something works in the target
language empowers one to use it accurately and specific and give speech
events practiced in the classroom or on the language platform. One’s constant
in-class or out-of-class practice will lead to durability.
My Personal
(Reflective Journaling) Conclusion
In my personal quest for the crafting of a
sticky language curriculum, I find myself wielding a diverse array of
strategies and techniques, anchoring their pedagogy in principles of
engagement, dialogue, and active learning under the umbrella concept of MUD. By
embracing these methodologies or approaches to language teaching, I expect I’m
guiding my learners to become empowered students who not only retain
information but also apply it meaningfully in real-world contexts, fostering a
culture of lifelong learning and intellectual curiosity in their minds.
Crafting sticky curriculum with MUD requires a multifaceted approach that
encompasses engaging presentation techniques, interactive teaching strategies,
and structured learning experiences. By prioritizing memorability, usability,
and durability, I expect to empower students to become active participants in
their own learning journey, equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to
thrive in an ever-changing world.
The secret to success in our language-teaching lives lies in harnessing the power of MUD to make the results of our teaching sticky in the minds of our learners. MUD will never sorely disappoint our learners because it becomes the bedrock of our teaching reflecting the exit profile of the language programs where we work.
Reference
Acuña, J. (2021, October 5). Making Curriculum Sticky:
Arizona State University TESOL Certificate. Personal Reflective Journal
2021, 10(1). 1-3.
Reflective Task
To reflect on the content
provided in the text, you might consider the following reflective questions or
prompts to mull over your own teaching practice so far:
a) What
are the key dimensions of stickiness in language education?
b) How do
you employ instructional methods such as Project-Based Learning, Experiential
Learning, and Case Studies to engage students effectively?
c) What
strategies are recommended for making language curriculum sticky in terms of
memorability, usability, and durability?
d) How
can you balance teacher talk time (TTT) and student talking time (STT) to
foster a more interactive and engaging learning environment?
e) What
role do visual aids and activities play in stimulating learner engagement and
comprehension in language education?
f) How
does the concept of memorability, usability, and durability (MUD) align with
the principles of communicative language teaching (CLT)?
g) In
what ways can you facilitate active learning and conceptual understanding
through inductive reasoning?
h) Reflecting
on your own teaching practices, how do you currently incorporate strategies to
make your language curriculum sticky?
i) What
adjustments or enhancements could you make to your teaching approach to better
align with the principles of stickiness?
j) How do
you envision the implementation of MUD principles enhancing student learning
outcomes and fostering a culture of lifelong learning and intellectual
curiosity in language education?
These reflective questions can help you analyze and evaluate your teaching practices, identify areas for improvement, and develop strategies to create a more engaging and effective language curriculum.
Crafting Sticky Curriculum ... by Jonathan Acuña
Crafting Sticky Curriculum ... by Jonathan Acuña
