Student Feedback: Challenges in the ESL Classroom

In Digital Natives to Digital Wisdom (2012), Marc Prensky was baffled by how few K-12 educators and administrators asked their students’ opinions about their own education. Prensky is a renowned feature speaker on the use of technology in education.

His mind was blown when some school districts refused to allow Prensky to organize student panels for discussions while others stated that they doubted the students had much to offer, but he could go ahead and give it a shot.

Much to everyone’s surprise (including the students) the panels were very successful and the students did have a lot of useful constructive criticism. Student panels are now central to Pensky’s advocacy for the centralized use of technology in the classroom.

According to the student panels, students “power down” to go to school; how they perform in school feels archaic compared to how they use technology and social networking to navigate their outside accomplishments.

Student panels also reported that   “50 to 99 percent” of all students are bored, but that didn’t stop them from loving their best teachers (while most of their teachers’ respectfully sucked).   

When was the last time you asked your students how things were going?

A class up for the challenge.

Quite frankly, 89% of my university students couldn’t answer me directly or provide the appropriate feedback (in academic or assessment terms). Most of my students are low-level English speakers and my Korean (most of my students' native language) is far worse than their EFL interactions will ever be. I am very linguistically challenged and it makes me a very empathetic and dedicated educator.

So, what do I have to rely on for student feedback? The body language, grunts, moans, laughter, “teeacchheerrrr hard,” the class periods of student engagement for the entire time (insert victory celebration here), and the other short phrases that eventually make our coded classroom communication?

Why, yes. Many university students are actually quite effective at communicating whether or not the lessons are working even in a second language… oh yes, they are.

Combatting boredom.

I am continuously looking for new uses of technology and materials to combat boredom. Student engagement is my top priority. If I have their attention then we can do anything together.

Now, would technology engage my low level students more in their studies?

I absolutely believe that they would love to engage language through technology. The “where, what, when, and how” of implementing technology is the challenge of the new millennium. 

A litany of questions immediately ensure with the most practical being: do I assign low-level speakers assignments using software that is only in English? Or do I have to use software that is in Korean (and perhaps hard for me to navigate)? 

Forward thinkers, like Prensky, are talking about virtual classrooms with avatars that build new worlds as students learn new languages. Mind blowing.

For now, I am living in 2013 with classrooms that are lucky to have a computer with a projector and where many Korean professors are currently recording their stock lectures for Internet classes.

All of my students are now required to be on their class Facebook page. I post all of their class materials and communication via social media. This semester, they were also assigned to post introductions of themselves with pictures. Later, they will be asked to create social media conversations with each other in English. So far, they like it and appreciate the engagement.

What has that got to do with increasing student feedback?

I believe that my students are more likely to ask me a question or send me a comment via Facebook. I am still surprised by how much student communication increased and the type of messages that are sent. The leaders of the class emerge as they seek out assignment clarification and then proceed to translate the answer for their classmates. Also, the students are very good at letting me know what is working and what isn’t.

How about my more advanced students? What do they think?

My more proficient students are asked from the onset of our educational relationship what is working and what isn’t. I use aesthetic teaching methods and technology in my instruction of more proficient language learners. So, the curriculums are often shaped, as we go along, to fit that particular group’ needs to become more productive speakers.

Do I always adhere to their feedback?

The road of happy destiny. 

No, but I always consider what they’ve said. Some of my teaching methods make students uncomfortable as many are used to rote learning and methods grounded in behaviorism. I want my students to start critically thinking in English. This is a process that asks them to literally create new language pathways in their brains by approaching language differently. So, there will be moments where students want to go back to what they are used too. I respect that, but I keep trudging the happy road of destiny when something is working for most of the class and is accomplishing our mutually set class goals.