values for elt #3: initiative

Values for ELT

Andrés Ramos

To find out the concepts, methodology, style, and sources supporting this series for

Values Teaching, check out “Values for ELT: Introduction And Framework” at

http://www.slideshare.net/AndrsRamos/values-for-elt-0-intro-framework-30932000

INITIATIVE

Photo: Kathryn McCallum / Flickr CC














Are You Tired of…..

… going through the motions?

… no guts, no glory?

… low willpower?

Photo: US Library of Congress / Flickr CC

Get up and do something!!

What Is Initiative All about?

“The ability to decide in an independent way what to

do and when to do it […] an important action that is

intended to solve a problem […] the opportunity to

take action before other people do.”

Macmillan English Dictionary Online

“ An introductory step; energy

or aptitude displayed in initiation of action.”

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Photo: Greeblie / Flickr CC

Now, let’s see initiative for ELT.

Talk The Talk about Initiative:

• This is my first step to (aim / destination / accomplishment)

• I begin (by) noun / gerund…

• I can do something new about…

• I began (doing something) with (resource) some (time units) ago.

• “Let’s get it started”

• I’ve been trying new ways to…

• I’ll make it happen, one way or the other.

• “We are walking into uncharted territory / sailing in uncharted waters.”

• “We will go / have endeavored to go where no man has gone before.”

• To take the less trodden path / the road less traveled

• Paraphrasing / quoting literature on initiative in academic, business,

inspirational contexts, i.e. "Go at it boldly, and you'll find unexpected

forces closing round you and coming to your aid.” – Basil King

Ways to assist students in practicing this, next!

Photo: LetThemTalk by Jennifer / Flickr CC

Walk The Walk towards Initiative…

Along with children:

• Set aside time to occasionally engage in student-

suggested, class-related impromptu activity, thus giving

children’s short attention span a purpose.

• Set up situations promoting learners’ creativity for action,

practice, projects, fillers, or even entirely new endeavors…

within reason, time, and syllabus.

Teens can also walk this way by…

Photo: Santiago / Flickr CC

Photo: Alan Browser / Flickr CC

Along with teens:

• At this age, students refrain from proposing new things for

many reasons, mainly fear of reprisal / bullying. Therefore,

make sure to set simple criteria (i.e. a rubric for proposals)

by which initiatives may be acknowledged, rewarded, and

integrated to the course.

• Allocate 10-20% of your schedule for such activities as

‘innovation labs’, ‘What if times’, ‘decision-making days’

preferably as part of standard ELT skill-building practice,

and apply results from them to your syllabus when possible.

Adults and professionals can go along!


Photo: Mark Interrante / Flickr CC

Along with young adults & adults or professionals:

• Adults experience performance anxiety (losing face before

their peers), or get blocked by derogatory experiences. Identify

aspects of your course that benefit from learners’ new ideas, and

set a positive expectation from them.

• Use language, ESP content, and attitudes towards initiative to

reflect upon its importance and integrate it to students’ skills set.

• Practice initiative in the guise of entrepreneurship, inspiring

learners with groundbreaking cases.

A few tricks of the trade to make it happen, next!


Initiative + ELT Strategies

of Cognitive Nature

Whole Brain Teaching: Include more right-

hemisphere activity in your class to balance

creative thinking on a par with critical thinking.

Brain-Based Learning: Engage in stimulating,

challenging activity, which includes movement

and interaction, and increase it when involved

in initiative-driven work.

Good for the brain! How about language acquisition?

Photo: Canadian Youth Delegation / Flickr CC

Second Language Acquisition:

Encourage students to try new ways for

out-of class skills practice, and report the

results back to the class.


of Linguistic Nature

Didactics: Rather than structuring all your

Cooperative Learning (CL) practice, explain its

techniques, conduct some controlled activities,

and leave room for teams to choose, experiment

with, and devise ELT exercises with CL.

No, we’re not leaving IT out. See next!


Self-Directed Tech Learning: When

scheduling and populating courses on your

LMS / VLE, assign some work instructing

students to proceed ad-lib.


of Digital Nature

Blended Learning: Tightly control resource blend

at the beginning, give more autonomy later, and

then promote independent blend choices.

Apps: Schedule ‘best app days’ so that students can

show (non-ELT) apps discovered and their use for class.

Let’s see how all this connects across the curriculum.


Initiative, The Perfect Match for…

Photo: Eva García Pascual / Flickr CC

• Science: Appraise more highly experimenting than outcome.

• Art: Encourage trying new techniques, genres, expressions.

• Math: Post an unfamiliar problem and reward those who dare.

• Physical Education: Learners’ sport careers set an example.

• Physics / Chemistry: Acknowledge brainstorming turned into action.

• History: Elicit documenting new perspectives on periods or movements.

• Literature / Music : Reward new creative writing or research on novels /

poems. Also give extra credits to works created beyond assignments.

• Extracurricular clubs: Founding them is an evidence of initiative per se.

• Engineering: Pose off-syllabus challenges to promote attempts.

• Management: Have students devise and report innovation techniques .

• ICT: Nurture learners’ drive for original productions, inventions, startups.

• Performing Arts: Curate and publish deserving unsolicited works.

Last but not least, inspiration!

Inspiration from Initiative

“Do not lie in a ditch, and say God help me; use the lawful

tools He hath lent thee.”

English Proverb

Photo: Reza Vaziri / Flickr CC

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —.

I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”

From “The Road Not Taken”, by Robert Frost

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;

knock and the door will be opened to you”

Matthew 7:7 (NIV)

Our next month’s value: Empathy

Values for ELT

Photo: Kathryn McCallum / Flickr CC

Andrés Ramos

To find out the concepts, methodology, style, and sources supporting this series for

Values Teaching, check out “Values for ELT: Introduction And Framework” at


INITIATIVE












