How can Computer Technology help and assist the beginner level English students to prepare for the Citizenship Exam?

Baha Sadr, International Institute of Rhode Island  June.8.2000
 


The  main goal for Citizenship classes is to prepare the students for the exam that the INS requires the applicants to take which consists of:

U.S. Government and History ( referred as 100 Questions )
Personal Questions regarding the applications submitted
Writing test  ( Dictation )

With that in mind, and the facilities the International Institute offers the students, I wanted to introduce my students to Computer and teach them the basics of how to operate one.  So I figured a  CD-Rom designed especially for the Citizenship Test would be ideal to cover some of the curriculum as well as introducing the students to the Computers and how to use the CD-Rom, so that they can learn the material on their own.

The CD-Rom covered the 100 Questions.  I had to learn how to utilize Microsoft Power Point, to create the CD-Rom.  Each question appears with a related image or photo, and narrated as well so the students can hear what is being asked, then there's a pause or on the mouse click, the Answer appears. This system of practicing was quite successful and entertaining also the students weren't so foreign with Computers, and they learned how to scan through the slides and maneuver the mouse and basically took the initial steps to understand and work with computers. However the Cd-Rom covered a part of the Test. The Interview is the part most applicants fail or have problems with. So I realized this CD is not sufficient for achieving the original Goal, because the students learned the questions mechanically and didn't improve their speaking and communication skills.

Most of my students could not or they were intimidated to answer  ordinary questions in reference to their personal lives, and as soon as they'd hear a word that they could not recognize, their immediate response was to panic, which at the interview could result failure in communication and lose their opportunity to obtain the Citizenship the had applied for.

Fortunately, the International Institute has a brand new (fully Computerized) Language lab installed, which enabled me to use the same computer software (Microsoft Power Point ) and the same CD, but this time I had each student isolated in a separate booth and they could hear me as well as what was being narrated,  and I could change the phrasing of the question also pick a certain student to answer, and the rest of the class could listen to what was being discussed through their headsets.

Suddenly the level of concentration increased and since the students were forced to speak into the Microphones and be heard through the speakers which they found quite exciting and this led them to pay closer attention to what they hear and how they pronounce the words as they speak. So the level of confidence which was very poor escalated to the point that we created several group games like Jeopardy. Soon after I discovered a major transformation. Since most of my students were  in their 40-50's they were too comfortable with their native tongue. The real miracle was the fact that subconsciously  the students stopped speaking Spanish amongst each other, and they somehow forgot about their habit without me pointing it out.

The next step was to get them prepared for the Interview.  Once again we were fortunate to have volunteers who dedicated their times so generously , they'd come in and ask questions and try to communicate with the students on a certain subject. This exercise was very satisfying for the students because they became more and more confident that they can communicate with other English speaking individuals rather than their teacher.

Finally, we had a Mock Interview, which I used a Video Camera to record this Role Playing Technique and the students watched themselves on the Large Screen, so they could figure out their weaknesses and strengths on their own.

I feel that my Original Plan for creating a CD-Rom designed for Citizenship Students/ Applicants did not fully develop due to the fact that my students' needs were in different areas, which was mostly in Communication and Lack of confidence in Speaking and Understanding. However, I feel that using Power Point was a great tool to use in addition to the Language Lab and it made the project colorful and interesting.

The Citizenship classes met three nights a week for two hours, and ever since I used the lab, which was around March, I made sure we use the lab every day, for the first hour, then after that going back to the regular classroom with a normal blackboard and chairs, but the topics that we talked about was much more interesting and involving, and so the students could express themselves much clearer.

We also made an Audio tape, using the language lab, so that students can listen to before they appear for their Interview at INS.



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