Teaching pragmatic speech acts and communicative skills in accordance with multimedia materials

Jayakaran Mukundan (2008) investigates the latest approach of Multimedia Materials in Developing countries, to be more precise, his studies are based on the outcomes of Malaysian ELT experience. The author prioritizes the article with a glance at bandwagon hypotheses which become pivotal core for exploring the newest trends, such as, lifestyle, fashion, media and computers.

He criticizes the approach of multimedia materials development for remaining too simple even though there was a good range of opportunities to prepare these types of materials through the computers, presentations, CD formats. Thus, aforementioned factors have played an integral role in progressing electronic versions of the reader.

Observations and evaluations

The writer illustrates some specific reasons why Malaysia has accelerated its culmination towards into Multimedia. He lists these reasons by defining their particular features. According to Mukundan (2008) the initial reason for developing Multimedia materials has been the fundamental change in the field of IT and its widespread implementation in business, finance and education. Thus, even traditional material developers and designers have altered their angles and eagerly faced the privileges of IT. This attitude has evolved the idea of smart schools and their establishments throughout the country.

Mukundan clearly tends to show the importance of this trend from another focus, he mentions that this progress has led to activate business into education. For instance, local people have become permanent purchasers of computers and in a consequence, almost each family could afford one computer.

Later this intention has presented one more fruitful outcome, English has become an inseparable part of Math and Science teaching and further language proposals and concepts have been created in accordance with this relationship.

In his further concepts the author commences to introduce some critical ideas about the misconceptions of utilizing Multimedia in ELT. Mukundan vividly points out three misconceptions in this lacking area. Primarily, he depicts the belief which equals the language with laboratories. Secondly, the author defines the term of teaching courseware and explains it as a misunderstood approach by some teachers and material designers. Finally, he decodes the belief which proposes teaching courseware to be appropriate into language educating pedagogy.

In the final part, the author shares his findings about the subdivisions of courseware by stating that they may mislead the educators, but at the same time he suggests some vital remedies to overcome these obstacles.

Discussion: The teacher’s role in the classroom

It should be admitted that recent learning and teaching processes cannot be arranged without the use of Multimedia Materials. Even though the author of the article mentions that the implementation of Multimedia Materials into the classroom as a new trend, but my opinions about this view are much more controversial. I clearly remember that in the middle of the 1990s even Uzbek classrooms accepted the Multimedia Materials and they were utilized in traditional classrooms. For example, we were taught with a CD format of materials (“Intercom”, “English for Businessmen”) and at that time our instructor could show her excellence in using Multimedia Materials during the classes.

According to Browell (1996) the use of Multimedia Materials is not an up to date approach and it should be presented by combining two or three media sources, such as, the tape and projector. He also points out that using Multimedia Materials in the classroom makes easier the task of the instructor’s by giving them an opportunity of demonstrating and achieving their goals and objectives more vividly and effectively.

Another claim that I do not subscribe to is Mukundan’s denying the belief which may demonstrate language classrooms similar to laboratories. He emphasizes that the role of the teachers will not be the same, even they lose their presence in the classrooms. As a practicing teacher I can assure that the classrooms and teachers will keep their functions in the future. If we implement using Multimedia Materials in the classroom and provide the internet connection and access to the computers we can develop the learners’ skills on IT knowledge.

Although I have presented my contrasting opinions towards the author’s concepts, there are some crucial moments where I support his perceptions. For instance, he denominates that if the Multimedia, in particular, the monitor or projector is always on during the class, learners’ focus will be driven to this device and they can stop behaving naturally and the importance of negotiation or interaction may be reduced, thus the learners might feel the sense of anxiety and lose their confidence. Guangyang (2019) points out that the negative concerns may arise while using Multimedia Materials during the process of teaching and learning. Learners, even some teachers may be physically dependent on them which can also impact on the academic achievement of the students.

Conclusion

In the final analysis, in order not to lose their role in the classroom the teachers must also know how to use Multimedia Materials inside out. Asthana (2006) mentions that enabling teachers use Multimedia Materials can be an ongoing action, but at the same time this process should be regularly overtaken, because new technologies and novel approaches are entering the teaching and learning procedure abruptly.