A case for engaging learners in mainstream education : an ESL approach

Abstract

As two teachers from the private English language sector, we were given the opportunity to teach mainstream classes in two separate local colleges. Our initial impression was that there was a great deal of reluctance and even apathy towards learning English. Inspired by Sri Aurobindo’s essential components required to engage students and going beyond engagement as a mere hook to catch student attention, we designed our lesson plans on the basis of our own interpretation of Aurobindo’s recommended elements: relevance; choice; contribution; and challenge. Once we had delivered our lessons, we found that levels of student interest and participation were much improved, with a move towards a more positive reaction to the lessons and learning English. In this paper, we note that carefully devised lesson plans incorporating the four elements mentioned above work well towards fostering a better sense of engagement with the lesson, encouraging student participation and contribution, and stretching intellectual challenge.