Analysis of the readings defining educational innovation, the Importance of Innovation, and Research on Teacher’s Attitude

Analysis of the reading defining educational innovation

Innovation is the process of renew something or to implement something new, but when innovation is spoken in education most of the time people think in grammar translation method, suggestopedia method, direct method, and the rest of approaches that exist. Innovation goes beyond of those approaches; it is the application of different techniques in the classrooms, at the same time to offer variability in practices in order to cover the special needs students can have. At the moment to speak of innovation it is essential speak to culture because in most of the cases in Costa Rica’s education culture is not present in the lessons, in the best of cases teachers remember only four skills: listening, speaking, writing, and reading, but what about with the fifth skill called culture, for that reason a great question arises in teachers’ minds, how the culture could be incorporated to the educative process in to innovate? Essential aspects must be included at the moment to teach culture, those new social aspects were: marriage customs and ceremonies, festivals it would be innovative and interesting topic in classrooms. When teacher brings those elements about the target culture which have a great importance for people from the target culture the teacher should make aware students to understand cultural differences are not signal of superiority or inferiority between cultures because those differences are the result of hundreds of years of traditions and customs. Before to go inside of foreign cultures the first thing teacher can make is students can fell part of the some culture, it is their own culture, for example teacher requires students to discuss values, expectations, traditions, customs, and rituals, so once they are consciousness about their cultural aspects they are ready to acquire and understand the values, expectations, and traditions of others with higher degree of intellectual and objectivity. Some relevant aspect teacher should consider is the level and age, academic level, and economic conditions of the learners for instance beginners could begin with certain activities that are part of the own culture at the same time they are part of the target culture too those activities could be: national sports, social festivities, or songs. Regrettably, this innovation in culture has some limitations, the syllabus can limit the activities or the topics that teachers can develop in the classrooms and in some cases teachers cannot know a lot of about the target culture, as a consequence the cultural class could be a disaster.

The world changes every day, but in most of the cases the education does not change in some institutions the syllabus is the same for 10 or 15 years, as a consequence intercultural channels could be broken, as a result of cultural isolation, so the syllabus of the educative institutions must be innovative and adapted to the present times because nowadays, the frontiers have been reduced for the huge technological advances in transport and communication 50 years ago travel to other country was so complicated, expensive, and tired; actually days people can travel to other country in few hours and during the process of translation people enjoy of a lot of comforts. Also on the present times business and political agreements have increased the necessity to be able to get involve and exchange knowledge and points of view in foreign cultures, at the same time try to avoid breaking intercultural channels, as a consequence to have problems with people from target cultures.

Analysis of the readings the Importance of Innovation, and Research on Teacher’s Attitude

The acquisition of a new language is a complex, long, and hard process because people have to learn a lot of vocabulary, grammar structures, pronunciation, intonation, etc; in other words they have start to speak, listen, write, and read again. For some people the process of learning a second language is an almost impossible event that they can make en their life, so they drop out of their intention to be bilingual, as a consequence they lost the opportunity to get all the benefits that bilingual people can achieve, e.g. a wider choice of jobs in different fields (tourism, public relations, translation, marketing and sales, banking and accountancy, and one of the most relevant teaching), to be an access and exposure to different cultures because a language is a part of culture, and a lot of cognitive benefits.

Nowadays in Costa Rica’s education in many cases English is view like a biggest wall that students cannot cross, consequently a question arises what is the cause of students see English as an obstacle? Two possible causes could answer that question, those are: teacher’s attitude, and motivation. Those causes seems to be linked because the first one can affect the second one, teachers’ attitude is a relevant part in the educational process if the teacher has a negative attitude it will be reflected in cognitive abilities of the students, as the result learners do not have the interest in English lessons. To be an English teacher goes beyond that to stay in front of the students next to the board and start to teach vocabulary, grammar structures, pronunciation of the words, and memorization of verbs educators have the great responsibility to be able to transmit the knowledge satisfactorily, for that reason professors must try to have and positive attitude in the classroom in order to avoid the frustration of the students, on the contrary they have to be the support of the students in the academic area, and in the formation of an integral being. Teachers are responsible to form people rich in values; the teachers’ attitudes must foment the honesty, tolerance, respect, discipline, and others relevant aspects that people should have in order to get an successfully development into a society; sometimes educators have to be consultants of the students because if the teacher have a successful relationship with the students at the moment one student has a problem he/she can tell to the teacher his/her problem, and teacher can help students to solve the problem, at the end how satisfactory would be for a teacher has helped to student because in some cases a good advice for the teacher can avoid a student’s suicide.

The motivation part is other of the teachers’ duties, they have to be energized in compromise, and they should have real love toward the teaching process, every time the teacher must try to motivate students, at the same time teacher must encourage students to learn a lot, and try students want to learn beyond of what syllabus says. Phrases such as: good work, excellent, you are so smart students can motivate vastly the learners, consequently a motivate student can achieve a lot of positive things, also teacher must take care of the discourage phrases because with one word you can motivate or destroy the students, and they will remember the teacher forever, in teacher’s hands depends if student will remembered as an friend and an example, or as a enemy and terrible professor.