Classroom to Real Life Situations-Bridging the Gap

The speaker, Ms Sharon Ruth Devaneson shared a teaching tip on Wednesday, September 7, 2022. The nerve point of her presentation was on how to bridge the gap between classroom and real life situations and it seemed important as it is notoriously difficult for many students, understanding how classroom curriculum applies to the real world. Especially, in areas like English, many students fall into the trap of repeating information without really comprehending the underlying framework.

Technology is another medium that is being used by teachers to bring the real world into the classroom these days. However, the language items learned by students mostly stay within the classroom. 'Connecting' what is learned in the classroom with the real world promotes total student involvement and learning through authentic situations. The teacher acts as the bridge that facilitates and provides the necessary scaffolding.

Profile: Sharon Ruth Devaneson has over 18 years of experience teaching English at the tertiary level. She has an M.A in English Language and Literature from the University of Madras and a CELTA from the British Council. She is constantly trying innovative techniques and strategies to motivate her students to learn and use English independently.