• CJs I&II are integral parts of It’s Up to You (U2U).
• CJI is used in parallel with Part I of the U2U Student Workbook (WB).
• CJII is used in parallel with Part II of the U2U Student Workbook (WB).
• CJs I&II contain lesson plans and teaching resource materials.
• CJs I&II contain class management records. Attendance, student information, Self/peer evaluations, teacher evaluations and students grades are all in these CJs. Hang on to your CJs. They contain all your class records!
• CJs I&II are used by students and teachers.
• CJs I&II are shared classroom resources in which teachers and students are encouraged to make comments and to reflect on the learning process, their experiences and progress.
• CJs I&II should be available in every classroom session, so that teachers and students can input information and comments.
• CJs I&II are in one volume which is used for two Parts (CJI – Part I; CJII – Part II). Teachers must keep their CJs for an entire year. Different students in different classes will use the CJ in Part II. Hang on to your CJs!

U2U provides the teacher with an efficient means of managing classroom dynamics and administration, in order to achieve a sensitive and efficient learning environment in which responsible attitudes to learning can emerge:

•               Administration (attendance, evaluation records, etc.)

•              Assessment suggestions and guidelines (self/peer-evaluation)

•              Practical teacher notes on daily lesson management.

•              Commentary on the principles behind the course

•              Reflection (teachers and students)

Process and Product

The learning environment expressed in this program explores many challenges to conventional classroom experience for both teachers and learners. The process is biased to the individual's expanding awareness and responsibility for their stable state of second language acquisition. The product of the course is both internally mediated and objectively observed. Careful attention to learner representations concerning issues of affect, motivation, and learning dynamics has been considered.

Rigorous Learning Environment

The students are presented with both the classroom challenges of staying on task and the equally significant element of working independently and in groups outside of the classroom schedule. The learning principles advocated in this program are underpinned by the clear understanding that real progress is a matter of sustained and concentrated effort. Indeed, the hardworking (and noisy!) classroom should provide a positive model for the students to pursue outside of classroom hours. The actively engaged teacher is a core element of this affirmative paradigm. The essential elements of the course are provided in the Student Workbook and Class Journals, but good professional practice insists that the teacher provide supplementary materials when and where indications for them emerge.

Appropriate Challenge

The challenges explored in this program are derived from many years of experience working with tertiary-level second language learners in Korea. All secondary school graduates have at least a familiarity with the language in the textbook. The challenge in this course is to transform language knowledge into language performance. An equally important challenge is to advance the learning skills which are necessary for students to enter the community as responsible and productive citizens (self-esteem, critical analysis, problem-solving, creative thinking, cooperation, etc.).

Climate of Trust

More critical to the learning environment than approach, method, or content are the relationships that unfold and develop in the classroom. The most valuable and meaningful learning structures and student aspirations are fully realized through a classroom environment where trust and respect flow in all directions. Sano et al. (1984) point out that creative production is possible only in a “non-threatening environment” which encourages meaningful learning and the creative use of English. They see learning as dependent on:

… warm-hearted interaction between teachers and learners, as well as among learners themselves. This forthcoming interaction is, in our opinion, the most essential factor in successful language learning. (Sano et al 1984, p. 171)

Documented Evidence

Classroom practices, events, and experiences are recorded as significant elements for reflection and evaluation. The students keep these records in the CJI and in their copy of the WB. Records here are not seen as just data used to derive a final grade for the course work, but also as opportunities for the student and teacher to reflect on past performance, make comparisons with current circumstances, and consider the implications for the future.

Suggested Grading Scheme:

Attendance

This mark is a suggestion for weighting attendance in a grading scheme. Teachers should devise and communicate the value of each absence to the students.

Participation

Essentially, participation means being in class on time and on task. But it also means having positive attitudes, interactions, and making outside-class contributions. Classroom participation is recorded in the WB and in the CJ.

Presentations

Presentations and projects provide the students with the opportunity to express a variety of skills including scheduling, organizing meetings, delegating responsibilities, researching, using multimedia, as well as experience integrating the four language macroskills. The learners are also provided with the opportunity for feedback from their peers in the classroom.

Self/peer-assessment

Self-assessment is as a practical tool for everyday classroom use, and has recently received considerable favorable attention. Rather than simply restating the research, the Introduction therefore concludes with some commentary from two prominent researchers.

Above all, they [learners] can be helped to perceive their own progress and encouraged to see the value of what they are learning. … The best motive to learn is a perception of the value of the thing learned. (Harris (1997, p. 19)

In addition to 'normal' testing, we need to pay attention to the basic moral purpose of education: promoting the self-actualization of every learner, to the fullest. (Van Lier 1996, p. 120).

Self-assessment can begin to make students see their learning in personal terms [and] can help learners get better marks. (Harris (1997, p. 13).

References:

Sano, M., Takahashi, M. & Yoneyama, A. (1984). Communicative language teaching and local needs. English Language Teaching Journal, 38/3, 170-177

Harris, M. (1997). Self-assessment of language learning in formal settings. English Language Teaching Journal, 51/1, 12-20.

Van Lier, L. (1996). Interaction in the Language Curriculum: Awareness, Autonomy, and Authenticity. London: Longman.