Cuba: TEFL off the Grid

The objective of this paper is to share the author’s points of view concerning the teaching and learning process of English as a foreign language in Cuba. The author does not claim to speak on behalf of the Cuban EFL teaching community, and the views expressed in this paper are the result of his personal practice only, and not necessarily those of the Cuban educational institutions. The writer wishes to thank all those who have contributed to his professional formation- whose list would be too long. The author remarks that all shortcomings, errors, and inaccuracies found in this paper are his fault only.

TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE CHALLENGES IN THE ONLINE EFL TEACHING: A REVIEW OF PREVIOUS STUDIES

Technological advances and the COVID-19 have accelerated the shift from traditional learning to online learning. Educational institutions have no choice but to convert the classroom setting into online classes. When teaching online, EFL teachers may have encountered challenges. This paper aims to review some previous studies on the teachers’ perceptions of the challenges in online EFL teaching, in Indonesia and other countries. This study employs library research. The result shows that challenges occurred during the implementation of online EFL teaching and learning. In other countries such as Korea, Thailand, Iran, China, and Saudi Arabia, the challenges are mostly related to the students’ learning process including the time and class management. On the other hand, in Indonesia, the challenges are more complex. Lack of experience with the online teaching methods and the limitations regarding the adequate internet facilities become the challenges that are most complained by the teachers.Abstrak:Kemajuan teknologi dan COVID-19 telah mempercepat peralihan dari pembelajaran tradisional ke pembelajaran online. Institusi pendidikan tidak punya pilihan selain mengubah pengaturan kelas menjadi kelas online. Saat mengajar online, guru EFL mungkin menghadapi tantangan. Makalah ini bertujuan untuk meninjau beberapa penelitian sebelumnya tentang persepsi guru tentang tantangan dalam pengajaran EFL online, di Indonesia dan negara lain. Penelitian ini menggunakan penelitian kepustakaan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa tantangan terjadi selama pelaksanaan pembelajaran EFL online. Di negara-negara lain seperti Korea, Thailand, Iran, Cina, dan Arab Saudi, tantangannya lebih banyak terkait dengan proses belajar siswa termasuk waktu dan manajemen kelas. Di sisi lain, di Indonesia, tantangannya lebih kompleks. Kurangnya pengalaman dengan metode pengajaran online dan keterbatasan fasilitas internet yang memadai menjadi tantangan yang paling dikeluhkan oleh para guru.

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) IN ENGLISH FOREIGN LANGUAGE (EFL) TEACHING

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) useful to support English Language Teaching (ELT) for foreign language. However, this world particularly needs human resources who mastering English material and modern technology. The objective of this paper was to examine the utilization of ICT while conduct autonomous learning also to ensure teachers' abilities in the implementation of social media technology to support English Foreign Language (EFL) teaching classes. The survey used with collecting data from several young teachers by descriptive-qualitative method. Data showed four from six respondents already known ICT as well, automatically those five young teachers have appropriate ELT tools by various social media. Basically, teachers understand how important student-centered to be conducted particularly in EFL classes. In contrast, it was not balanced with the idea to develop ICT while designing interactive modern learning classes. Then, one case was found in the previous survey to be precise with high school teachers. Senior teachers just utilize one or two ICT tools in the ELT classes. The limitation of tools could make the output and outcome of the learning process is not optimal. Furthermore, this paper shows the importance of ICT integration tools and ELT which should be mastered by teachers in 4.0 era.

Implementing Communicative Approaches in English Language Teaching: The Case of Burkina Faso

This article explores the implementation of communicative approaches in English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching in Burkina Faso. Ten years after the revision of the syllabi, the implementation of communicative approaches in EFL teaching is still lagging. Teachers are still struggling to enact communicative approaches in the classroom. This article seeks to understand the factors that hinder the achievement of the communicative goals set by policymakers. This article investigates those hindrances under the lens of teachers who are the expected enactors of communicative approaches in the classroom. It used a mixed methodology for data collection, and the participants are teachers and teacher supervisors. Data analysis consisted of the integration of quantitative data into qualitative thematic units of analysis. The findings revealed that the implementation of communicative approaches did not go beyond the definition of the communicative goal and the design of communicative syllabi. The textbooks and the teaching methodologies remained traditional and teachers did not receive appropriate contextualized training to apply communicative approaches in their classes.

Exploring the College EFL Self-access Writing Mode Based on Automated Feedback

The present study is intended to construct a college EFL self-access writing mode based on automated feedback under the guidance of Formative Assessment Theory and Autonomous Learning Theory and attempts to apply it into college EFL teaching practice. Findings of this empirical-based study suggest that this self-access writing mode contributes to the enhancement of students’ English writing competence, English writing motivation as well as their autonomy in self-revision.

Exploiting Drama for Children in EFL Teaching to Promote Creativity, Confidence, and Motivation

Drama is a powerful tool for actively engaging children in the English learning process. By creating meaningful contexts, drama techniques help them develop their integrated linguistic competence. This research aims to explore how drama impacts the students’ confidence, creativity, and motivation to learn. This research used a literature review by selecting appropriate journal articles regarding drama in EFL teaching. The findings revealed that drama is beneficial in increasing students' confidence, creativity, and motivation to learn. Further research is recommended to exploit drama for children as it boosts the learners’ enthusiasm to learn English effectively.