Digital pedagogy and educational policies: Why might they distort the English classroom? — by Dr. Bernie Mak, Division of Arts and Languages

It is not news in Hong Kong that local English teachers have input long time and hard effort to learn and practice the use of teaching software or apps in their classrooms. But still, the output seems to be not as high as expected. To put it simply, students’ language proficiency has not significantly increased even after such tools are introduced to the field of language education, which makes English teachers confused about the role of e-learning in teaching English as a second language. Gradually, confusion is crystallized into devastation and exhaustion, forcing them to either give up or try something new next time.

This very sorry state seems rather surprising on the surface. After all, there have been so many upskilling programs in digital pedagogy and so much technical support for e-learning in the language classroom. Even those who are already skillful at using learning management systems (e.g., Blackboard), apps for formative assessment (e.g., Socrative), and generative artificial intelligence (e.g., ChatGPT) will feel daunted by the situation. What is the reason behind?

As far as I am concerned, it has everything to do with people’s attitudes towards e-learning, and more generally, information technology (IT) in education. Two to three decades ago, only the elite knew IT, and people understood not everybody would or could go about work with IT. However, since the age of Web 2.0, there has been a feeling that every practitioner in an industry should be high-tech, which is also why STEM education, as well as AI literacy, is always prioritized in education policies across the globe. Indeed, IT has diffused into every part of teaching and learning. Nonetheless, this has never meant IT always makes students intrinsically motivated to learn English as a second language. No matter how interesting an e-learning tool can be, it simply triggers extrinsic motivation, the rewards of fun, sometimes fame, or a kind of temporary excitement.

It is reasonable for English teachers to want to benefit from e-learning, but few of them will reflect on its real impact on students, and even fewer ever think about why so many Hong Kong students have lost interest in English. One should always remember English education in Hong Kong is examination-oriented. While digital pedagogy and e-learning tools have opened up more opportunities for successful learning, they are chances only, not certainties, not to mention the sad but true fact that effective e-learning never equals a good grade in the high-states assessment.

Even when effective e-learning can yield a better grade in summative assessment, not every English teacher is capable of handling it competently, nor must every student learn English through e-learning efficiently. Digital pedagogy and e-learning should not be overrated. English teachers need to understand those apps, platforms, or software, but they should not compel themselves to use IT in class, nor should they expect every English learner to like it. English teachers should concentrate on the outcomes of boosting confidence, increasing proficiency, and upgrading communication skills. Language education ought to be full of humanity, not technology.

Apparently, when AI dominates everything in society, human-centric skills will become even more important than they used to be. The abilities of social connection, human emotion, empathy, and creativity will be differentiating factors in decent education. It is language education that discovers and develops such abilities, which still could not be possessed by technology. What would happen to the future generation when language education is engulfed in IT tools only? Perhaps they make teaching and learning funny and entertaining, but this is not equivalent to making students active or self-regulated learners, who are able (and happy) to construct knowledge upon what is provided. In fact, pleasing students with IT tools is somewhat similar to spoon-feeding, engendering them more passive and less willing to take ownership of learning in the long run.

Unfortunately, Hong Kong is a business society in which language serves business (and international competitiveness). English education, in logical consequence, creates business opportunities. Commercialized e-learning tools are always booming in all their glory. In turn, even those who have already mastered digital pedagogy compete with each other for a greater teaching performance. Business aside, is e-learning a necessary condition for second language acquisition to occur?

To address the abovementioned question, I could not help describing another peculiar scenario, the changing relationship between (English) teachers and students. Recent years, the former are often “supposed” to make the latter interested in the target language. One shortcut to render it interesting is the use of game-based learning apps (e.g., Kahoot!) or platforms (e.g., ClassDojo). Nevertheless, he who enjoys an English lesson with such technologies can learn little about English; similarly, he who actively employs technologies in the classroom can be a person with little knowledge of pedagogy.

From a functional linguistic perspective, learning English as a second language aims at making us a good communicator across international or intercultural settings. Since when has it entailed the need for enjoyment? In reality, computer-assisted language learning and digital pedagogy are serious topics in the field of education studies, not something that can be closely linked to fun in its general sense. Furthermore, if e-learning for fun is a must in English teaching and learning, why could the older generation master it in a traditional classroom without any digital devices?

There is always a tension between new educational technology and classic pedagogy. A healthy system of English language education should be able to develop students’ competence in English using different teaching methods, whether brand-new or old-school. At the end of the day, if the benefit of e-learning in the English classroom always outweighs its drawback, it is ridiculous to keep chasing IT in English teaching and complain about students’ decreasing English standard at the same time.

As an applied linguist with experience in teacher education, I would like to emphasize that learning English as a second language requires an English-speaking environment, intrinsic motivation, the teacher’s pedagogy, and many more. Use of apps and teaching software is one of the possible pedagogical practices only. While the English-speaking environment is limited in Hong Kong, students’ motivation to learn English is more important than teachers’ instructional methods. Sometimes teachers adopt an efficient method, but students just lack motivation, and the outcome is still not satisfactory enough.

Last but not least, I have to declare that I am a total “sucker” for digital pedagogy. Over the past three to four years, I myself have benefited from different teaching apps or platforms, especially Mentimeter and Edpuzzle. That said, I deeply respect those who can teach so well without any use of digital devices, except Moodle. Honestly, educational technology has become increasingly complicated since Web 2.0, but one day on our planet still has 24 hours only. This means older English teachers are destined to invest more time and make more effort in catching up with the younger ones – until their realization of the interplay between digital pedagogy, educational policies, and the Hong Kong society.