Teachers Involvement in Course Design - Essay Example

Teachers Involvement in Course Design Name Professor Institution Course Date Introduction Teaching English as a second language relates to the process of teaching adults and children whose first or main language is not English. Students have the opportunity to learn English as a second language for the business or leisure reasons. In this case, students’ native language is not English. It is essential to note that teachers of ESL have the ability to work in a variety of settings with reference to different age ranges. This is possible in the commercial language schools, schools, and institutions with the aim of furthering education pursuit. Teachers focus on the utilization of English for the different levels of proficiency inclusive of the beginners. The main objective of this research essay is to examine the involvement of teachers in course design. This is through determination of the impact of involvement or lack of involvement of teachers in course design in relation to learning English as a second language. Moreover, the research essay will determine the advantages and disadvantages of the teachers’ involvement in the course design for the ESL students. Finally, the research essay will examine the reasons why teachers do not always engage in the course design of the ESL lessons and learning activities. Overview of English as a Second Language The success of the ESL learning activities relates to effective course design as well as implementation of critical learning techniques and strategies with the aim of enabling the students to grasp vital concepts concerning the language of interest (English). In order to achieve effective outcome for the ESL students, teachers have the obligation to adopt meta-cognitive, cognitive, social, and cultural techniques with the aim of improving the ability of the students to incorporate learning concepts into their learning systems. Teachers have a massive role to play in the course of addressing the needs and preferences of the ESL students. This is through partial participation in the course design in accordance with the proficiency level of the students seeking to study English as a second language. This is through evaluation of the critical issues that might affect the ability of the students to grasp vital English concepts with reference to the course objectives. Involvement of Teachers in Course Design In the modern context, execute partial roles in the development of the course plans and designs for the ESL with the aim of enhancing the ability of the students to achieve the goals and objectives of the courses. This is through determination of the techniques, systems, and concepts vital for the development of the students in the course of addressing the language development of the ESL students. In addition, teachers work in conjunction with the educational systems and learning institutions to development or design valuable courses for the ESL students. The involvement of the teachers in the course design for ESL students has diverse impacts with reference to the performance of the students as well as participation of the teachers helping the students in learning English as an essential language in their learning encounter. Impact of Teachers’ Involvement in Course Design Involvement of teachers in the course design for the ESL students aims at increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of the students in capturing the concepts of English as vital in diverse course and contexts. The approach is vital in the course of increasing participation of the teachers in handling the diversity of the students in learning English as a critical language to substantiate their native language in communication in the business, commercial, and other contexts in the international contexts (Tabari, 2013). Another critical impact of the involvement of teachers in course design is increased understanding of the techniques for the success of the ESL learning activities. The success of the ESL students relates to the ability of the teachers to adopt and implement diverse concepts and techniques to aid the cognitive development of the students seeking to study English as a second language to substantiate their understanding of other languages (Siegfried, 2000). From this perspective, teachers have the ability and opportunity to adopt and implement these concepts in the course design with the aim of addressing the needs of the ESL students. The approach is vital in increasing the performance of the students and teachers for the achievement of the common or collective goal in the modern society and learning institutions (Brynes, 2008). The rationale behind participation of the teachers in the course design relates the performance of the students as well as teachers for diverse application of the English language with reference to commerce and business encounters. The engagement or involvement of the teachers in the course development also have the perfect opportunity to help students understand concepts of the language in easier and familiar environment because of engaging in what they understand best. From this perspective, teachers have the opportunity to operate in a familiar environment thus maximization of the performance of the students as well as teachers in accordance with the course plans and courses. Impact of Lack of Involvement of Teachers in Course Design Alternatively, lack of involvement of the teachers in the course design for the ESL students has diverse impacts in relation to the performance of the teachers as well as students in the course of grasping the concepts of English in the modern context (Angell, DuBravac, & Gonglewski, 2008). One of the essential impacts for lack of involvement of the teachers in course design for the ESL students relate to the ineffective performance of the students as they seek to address the needs of the ESL students. This is because of inability of the teachers to exploit the systems and techniques they understand appropriately in the course of addressing diverse needs of the students in critical conditions. It is also essential to note that lack of involvement of the teachers in the course design for the ESL students limits morale of the teachers in the course of handling diverse objectives of the course. This is through implementation of unfamiliar elements and techniques in demonstrating concepts of the English language as a second language. Advantages & Disadvantages of Teachers’ Involvement in Course Design There are pros and cons of the participation of teachers in the course design for the students taking English as their Second Language. The main objective of this section of the research essay is to examine the benefits and costs of the involvement of teachers in course design. One of the essential benefits of the involvement of the teachers in the course design is the tendency of enhancing effectiveness and efficiency in the service delivery by the students and teachers (Harmer, 2007). For instance, teachers will have substantive knowledge about the techniques and systems that would be ideal for the language development of the students in the course of studying ESL (Son, 2008). In addition, these techniques and systems will be familiar to the teachers seeking to maximize their skills and experience in enhancing the language development for the ESL students. Similarly, students will have increased urge to perform better through their understanding of the concepts and cognitive development in accordance with the course designs by their teachers. These elements will be vital in the improvement of the performance of the teachers and the students in the course of addressing the collective goal and objective in relation to ESL course (Mohamad, 2009). Another critical advantage of the involvement of teachers in the course design is the generation of pride and sense of belonging (Cheng & Wong, 2002). Teachers will have the urge to work effectively and efficiently towards the achievement of the common goals and objectives. This is through understanding of the concepts of the course design for the ESL students while being part of the critical process in the course design. Teachers also have the perfect chance to exploit their chances, skills, and talents as well as experiences to aid quality development of the course design for the ESL students in diverse locations across the globe (Hirsch, 2003). From this perspective, the participation of the teachers in the course design would be ideal in the integration of critical information and knowledge of the teachers for a positive course. This is because teachers have substantial experiences and professional skills to know exactly what the students require to enhance their language development in relation to studying English as their Second Language. Teachers also contribute towards these developments of the course design to address the diversity in their classrooms for the ESL students. These students come from different parts or locations of the globe (Iwahori, 2008). This makes it ideal for the customization of the course design to facilitate effective and efficient understanding and grasping of the concepts for cognitive and social development of the students. Involvement of the teachers in such customization of the course designs will have massive influence on the performance of the students as well as teachers working on familiar concepts and territories. This is because of the ability of the teachers to understand the requirements of their diverse students as well as mechanisms to address their needs and preferences in the modern learning contexts (Horst, 2005). The eventual outcome of the involvement of teachers in most cases is the increased level of efficacy and efficiency towards the achievement of the collective goal in relation to language development of the students taking ESL courses for diverse purposes. Nevertheless, the involvement of teachers in the course design for the students taking ESL courses for different purposes might contribute towards diverse issues and ethical elements in the course of addressing diverse needs and preferences of the students across the globe (Shwartz, 2006). One of the essential issues in relation to the involvement of the teachers in course design for the students taking ESL is lack of impartiality in the learning process. Teachers have the obligation of being partial in the course of delivering critical information and knowledge for the development of the students (Talley, 2014). Lack of partiality could generate conflict of interest in the course of offering services for the achievement of the common goals and targets with references to language development of the students. In addition, involvement of teachers in the process of learning and course plans as well as designs might evade the incorporation of other concepts for effective language development of the students (Sheu, 2003). There is need to adopt and implement uniform or consistent course designs for the quality development of the students taking ESL. It is also vital for the teachers to focus on the exploitation of their techniques and skills to implement these course designs rather than their development for appropriate development of the students (Kayapinar, 2009). Lack of involvement of the teachers in the course design for the ESL students would ensure that teachers focus on the implementation of the concepts of the course rather than implementing their customized course designs that might be ineffective in covering all aspects of the language development of the students. Why Teachers are not always involved in Course Design According to diverse research cases, teachers do not always take part or participate in course design for the ESL students (Yoon, 2008). One of the essential reasons behind this notion is the need to promotion uniformity in the course plans for the students seeking to develop their language. In addition, educational practitioners seek to include all aspects of learning for language development thus excluding teachers from participating in the course designs and plans (Tucker, 2011). Nevertheless, participation of the teachers in the course designs or plans would be a blessing in disguise because of the tendency to improve quality performance of the students, learning institutions, and teachers in diverse settings. Conclusion Conclusively, the above illustrations demonstrate diverse implications of the involvement of teachers in designing courses and plans for the students taking ESL courses for different reasons. The diversity of the students taking these courses demands the involvement of teachers for effective performance in different facets. The involvement of teachers in course plans and designs is essential for customization of the learning process to address diverse needs and targets of the students for effective and efficient grasping of the concepts and cognitive development. Nevertheless, the involvement of teachers might contribute to some issues such as neglecting critical concepts from the course designs or plan thus the need to determine appropriate level of engagement in course designs. List of References Angell, J., DuBravac, S. & Gonglewski, M. 2008. Thinking globally, acting locally: Selecting textbooks for college-level language programs. Foreign Language Annals, 41, 562 – 572. Brynes, H. 2008. Whither foreign language pedagogy: Reflections in textbooks – reflections on textbooks. Unterrichtsspraxis/Teaching German, 21(1), 29 – 36. Cheng, D. & Wong, H.W. 2002. 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