International Teacher Education Conference 2014 1

International Teacher Education Conference 2014
USING NON-DIGITAL SOURCES AT CZECH TECHNICAL
UNIVERSITIES TO NARROW THE GAP BETWEEN STUDENTS
COMING FROM TECHNICAL AND NON-TECHNICAL SECONDARY
SCHOOLS
Mark Landry 1 , Lenka Landryova 2
1 Language Department, 2 Department of Control Systems and Instrumentation
VSB - Technical University Ostrava, 17. listopadu 15, Ostrava, Czech Republic
1 mark.landry@vsb.cz, 2 lenka.landryova@vsb.cz
ABSTRACT
This paper deals with the use of non-digital sources at Czech technical universities to narrow the gap between
students coming from technical and non-technical secondary schools and between students who have studied a
foreign language as few as four years and others who have studied it more than sixteen years. It proposes the use
of additional teaching sources, introduced at critical times, to supplement conventional textbook learning.
This paper also gives a general outline on the Czech education system and how languages have been taught. It
takes in the findings of various recent attention span studies, which indicate that students today are less likely to
be attracted by just textbook learning. It also looks at the encroaching effects of digital media on and in the
classroom and proposes a methodology on how to better capture student attention. It draws its conclusions from
a questionnaire distributed at a Czech university which has implemented the technique.
Keywords: supplementary/enhancing materials, creative classrooms, blended approach, sustained/focused
attention, passive/participatory methods
INTRODUCTION
The teaching of English and other foreign languages for full-time students at advanced levels studying at
technical universities in the Czech Republic is generally based on the use of a textbook widely oriented in a
certain area of study. For example, students later studying specific technical fields, such as Architecture or
Mechanical Engineering, first study general courses in engineering or technology, and students studying
economics study general business English in their first study semesters. There can be also more specific courses
offered for smaller select groups, for example VŠB- Technical University of Ostrava (later only VŠB-TUO) has
had more concentrated study in the branches of Air Transport, the European Union and in Computer Science.
Study sessions are concentrated into 90 minutes a week (2 teaching periods), and are not based on how many
years of study nor the type of secondary education a student has had. The majority of these students together
have had about 10-12 years of foreign language study with some students having up to 16 or more years and
some others only 4 years. Within these groups, many students are following up their secondary educational field
at a tertiary level, that is students who have studied at a business academy go on to study at economic or
business/management faculties or at economic branches at technical faculties. And similarly, students who have
studied at vocational (technical) secondary schools go on to study at faculties specialized in such branches as
Computer Science, Materials Engineering and Metallurgy or Mining-Geology. Students, who study at gymnasia
with or without specializations, study a general course in English without a technical focus. Students, who study
at secondary technical schools and secondary vocational schools, are more specifically prepared for a wide range
of professions. When these students are brought together in one group a teacher (who has usually not been
especially educated in the teaching of technology/economics) is faced with charting a course between trying to
comprehend and explain technical/economic concepts in more detail and to clarify the finer (grammatical) points
of a language.
Fortunately, there are enough interesting stimuli and teaching resources to help such a teacher to enrich and keep
the attention of students who are already well-immersed in a subject and enough supplementary materials and
sources available for those who need to catch up. One possibility is to further implement the pan-European
policy of making “creative classrooms” by increasing the use of digital media in them (that is beyond the use of
the audio recordings of transcripts) This is a popular step for some students, who have already had access and
exposure to their influences, especially if they study at technically-oriented schools. However by doing this a
teacher also has to take into consideration that these digital media could be affecting how students learn as
certain recent attention span studies have pointed out. They could also be sources of distraction or serve as
competition for a student´s attention. An alternative to the risk of having students hidden behind a screen or
using digital devices for non-lesson related purposes is to introduce more conventional types of non-digital
teaching materials at peak periods when a student´s attention is usually waning.
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