Explorations: Teaching and Learning English in India

Issue 1 looks at the professional practice of understanding learners and in particular the needs of students, especially for future employability. Barasha Borah makes suggestions on how a more communicative, task-based approach can be used to develop students’ speaking skills for students in secondary schools. Seemita Mohanty looks at ways in which the motivation and self-confidence of young people can be increased. Sutapa Chakravarty investigates how a range of multiple intelligences can be addressed inside and outside the primary school.

Issue 2 looks at the professional practice of assessing learners. Jayati Chatterjee and Dhriti Sundar Gupta investigate current ways of testing learner language skills at secondary school level and recommend both formative and summative testing. Kirti Kapur also researches current practice, finding that approaches are inconsistent and proposing the design and use of standardised rubrics. Kuheli Mukherjee and Kalyan Chattopadhyay investigate how secondary school teachers can give feedback on the writing performance of their learners and suggest more focused and consistent feedback to help learners to gain greater writing competence in English.

Issue 3 looks at the professional practice of managing resources. KN Shoba reports on the successful use of ‘word walls’ in the classroom and recommends their wider use in the teaching of English for specific purposes. M Vijaya Lakshmi describes her use of comics to teach lexis to young learners. Sujata Noronha reports an investigation into what kinds of stories encouraged young learners to respond enthusiastically and effectively in a mobile library project in an under-resourced housing community.

Issue 4 looks at the professional practice of understanding learners and how theories of learning can be applied. Robert Slattery investigates how teachers generally teach grammar in high schools, and recommends alternative ways of helping learners to achieve greater grammatical competence. Subhra Sarita Samal suggests that phonological awareness training leads to the development of more effective reading skills. Shahila Zafar and Zaved Ahmed Khan recommend the use of a project-based learning approach and provide evidence of its effect on motivation and performance.  

Issue 5 looks at the professional practice of taking responsibility for professional development. Deepa Kiran looks at ways to help primary school teachers to increase their motivation and their proficiency through storytelling. Balantrapu Kalyan describes experiences of encouraging teachers in Andra Pradesh to take responsibility for their own continuing professional development including diary writing and action research. Krishna Dutta Deka reports on a teacher development programme in Assam and identifies both the achievements and the scope for further development for the programme.

Issue 6 looks at the two professional practices of using inclusive practices and multilingual approaches. TR Muralikrishnan investigates the use of translation and the place of the L1 language in the L2 classroom. Bhanu Shankar demonstrates the effectiveness of a bilingual Shared Reading approach and how it can support young children’s comprehension, language and ability to communicate. Digambar Ghodke examines the bilingual/multilingual context of primary classrooms attended by children from the Waddar community and the challenges these children face in their learning.

Issue 7 looks at the two professional practices of managing resources and integrating ICT. Jeena George reports on the successful use of diary writing to help students develop their vocabulary and how it leads to higher learner performance and confidence. Sudipta Singha Roy examines practical ways of motivating students through theatre and drama. Chanchala Tiwari and Ranjit Singh investigate teachers’ attitudes to information technology and the extent to which teachers feel supported in developing ICT skills.

Issue 8 looks at the professional practice of assessing learners. Swathi Chikkala examines forms of current forms of assessment in engineering colleges and recommends a more standard approach. Khaleeq Ahmad and Prachi Agarwal present teacher and learner perceptions of a recently implemented examination and identify the need for training for teachers to manage examinations. Maruthi Kumari Vaddapalli demonstrates the effectiveness of self-regulated instruction in preparing learners for assessment and developing their writing skills.

Issue 9 is the second issue in our series to look at the professional practice of taking responsibility for professional development. Amol Padwad and Krishna Dixit describe the challenges and benefits of a project in which teachers undertook a series of action research initiatives. Padmini Bhuyan Boruah describes a continuing professional development Self-learning Materials project, and stresses the importance of agency and autonomy in teachers’ CPD. Deepty Victor and Chanchala Tiwari examine the impact of a British Council project to support the development of Teacher Educators through the analysis of feedback and classroom observations.

Issue 10 is the second issue in our series to look at the two professional practices of using inclusive practices and using multilingual approaches. Ramanujam Meganathan analyses the perceptions of students and teachers of the value of the learning experience in English medium high schools. Mizo Borah investigates the perceptions of students, teachers and parents on learning experiences in lower primary school students. Santosh Mahapatra analyses learner responses to the use of bilingual rubrics and presents positive findings on the advantages of using rubrics of this type.

Issue 11 is the third issue in our series to look at the professional practice of understanding learners and in particular investigates learners’ perceptions. Madhuri Modugala examines the perceptions of 12- year old students of the value of their coursebook and identifies some strong preferences. Anil Sarwal and Martin Lamb present findings on students’ expectations of teachers and teacher qualities that motivate students. Manisha Anand Patil and Dhairyashil Jagadale look at factors resulting in anxiety experienced by university students and how it can be reduced.