Cooperative Learning With a Focus on the Social: A Pedagogical Proposal for the EFL Classroom

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Published: Oct 3, 2016
DOI: https://doi.org/10.19183/how.23.2.321
Keywords:
Classroom as social reality, cooperative learning, English as a foreign language, critical pedagogy

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Janeth Juliana Contreras León
Colegio Bravo Páez IED
Claudia Marcela Chapetón Castro
Universidad Pedagógica Nacional

Abstract

This article is a report of a pedagogical intervention which was developed with a group of seventh graders during their English as a foreign language class in a public school in Bogotá. It is part of an investigation in which the main purpose was to foster students’ classroom interaction through the use of cooperative learning principles from a dialogical perspective that focused on social aspects of students’ school lives. Thus, the instructional design incorporated a methodology that focused on the students’ realities and provided opportunities for dialogue, cooperation, and reflection. From a pedagogical perspective, this experience promoted changes in the classroom practices allowing a new vision of group work, encouraging personal growth and social awareness among participants.

Article Details

How to Cite
Contreras León, J. J., & Chapetón Castro, C. M. (2016). Cooperative Learning With a Focus on the Social: A Pedagogical Proposal for the EFL Classroom. HOW, 23(2), 125–147. https://doi.org/10.19183/how.23.2.321
Issue
Vol. 23 No. 2: (July/December 2016)
Section
Reports on Pedagogical Experiences

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Author Biographies

Janeth Juliana Contreras León, Colegio Bravo Páez IED

Janeth Juliana Contreras León holds a BA in Modern Languages (Spanish and English) from Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas, Colombia, and an MA in Foreign Language Teaching from Universidad Pedagógica Nacional de Colombia. She is an EFL teacher for the Secretary of Education in Bogotá at Colegio Bravo Páez IED.

Claudia Marcela Chapetón Castro, Universidad Pedagógica Nacional

Claudia Marcela Chapetón Castro holds a PhD in Applied Linguistics (University of Barcelona) and an MA in Applied Linguistics (Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas). She is an associate professor at Universidad Pedagógica Nacional, Bogotá. She has co-authored EFL textbooks and teaching materials. Her research interests include critical literacy practices, EFL teaching, metaphor, and corpus linguistics.
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