Comparison between teaching and learning Adriana Ienuțaș

a foreign language in U.K. and in Romania

Comparison between teaching and learning a foreign

language in U.K. and in Romania

33
Comparison between teaching and learning Adriana Ienuțaș
a foreign language in U.K. and in Romania

3.1. Spanish - a romance language taught in an Anglo-Saxon space

Spanish and English belong to two different language branches. Spanish is a Romance
language that evolved from Latin, like French, Portuguese, and Italian. English is a Germanic
language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England. It was brought to Britain by
Germanic invaders. That is why it is related to Dutch and German. These facts are discussed by
many authors (History of English)

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that in Northern Ireland – an Anglo-Saxon country –
Spanish is one of the most common foreign languages pupils study in schools and colleges. After
a few observation classes of Spanish, I had the opportunity to talk to some pupils during the
break time. Those who study Spanish as the main foreign language told me that they considered
it very difficult whereas in Romania, during the school practice I had at Lucaciu College from
Baia Mare, when I asked the pupils whether they perceive Spanish as a difficult language to
learn they even laughed and answered that Spanish is ten times easier than English, arguing that
they understand more words from Spanish than from English even if they have not studied
Spanish at all. The Spanish words are more similar to Romanian than the English ones. This fact
can be explained by the same Latin root of Romance languages. Therefore Romanian pupils can
memorize more easily words coming from Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French than words
coming from English, German, Dutch.

Not only did I attend some classes in Northern Ireland, but I also took part in some international
conferences addressed to teachers as I have always been interested in teaching and improving my
pedagogical skills because as they say “practice makes perfect”( Proverb from J. Adams,
Diary,1761). Teachers develop their skills through classroom experiences.

What is obvious and can be noticed from the beginning during the observation of a class is that
Irish teachers of foreign languages (in this case Spanish) insist on skills development by
employing what they have just taught.
To help remember the phrases try doing the gestures.
¿Qué hora es? - What time is it? (British Sign Language sign for 'time': tap an imaginary watch)
Es la una - It's 1 o'clock (Raise your index finger)

34
Comparison between teaching and learning Adriana Ienuțaș
a foreign language in U.K. and in Romania
Son las ... - It's ... o'clock [for 2 to 12 o'clock] (Look at an imaginary watch)
¿Qué día es? - What day is it? (British Sign Language sign for 'when': drum your fingers on
your cheek)
Hoy es - Today is (Throw your head back as if crowing)

Nosotros vamos a
la playa.

El va al museo.

35
Comparison between teaching and learning Adriana Ienuțaș
a foreign language in U.K. and in Romania

36
Comparison between teaching and learning Adriana Ienuțaș
a foreign language in U.K. and in Romania

37
Comparison between teaching and learning Adriana Ienuțaș
a foreign language in U.K. and in Romania
There is no doubt that the approach to teaching a Vocabulary lesson belongs to the person in
charge of teaching. It is up to the teacher how the information is presented, but the approach can
be more creative and effective when one has resources. In Northern Ireland most classes use
internet and electronic boards. This facilitates the learning process.

During a conference I attended, called “Creative Teaching and Learning” a teacher stated that
they struggled to develop communicative competence based on accuracy, fluency and control of
grammar and vocabulary. Consequently, they focused on feedback and reward of the pupils. He
also explained that whenever teachers had to introduce a new concept they tried to use the
previous knowledge of the pupils and led them to connect it to what they were supposed to study.

What was discussed at the conference could be easily observed at foreign languages classes
where instructors tried to make use of games, flash cards with words and so on. Pupils were
encouraged to speak. Therefore they worked in pairs or small groups – this is something that
teachers of foreign languages attempt to do in Romania as well.

Instead of giving pupils lists of words and say “go and study”, the teachers in Northern Ireland
preferred to teach through communication, bringing visual input (images) that enabled students
to understand all the meanings and connotations of the words. After each class, in order to
enhance knowledge they used role-play. For instance, when they taught prepositions, the
teachers asked two or three pupils to be tourist guides and another group of five pupils to be
visitors asking for directions.

A piece of advice I was given before teaching my first class in a college from Northern Ireland
was to make the class fun, interactive and allow the children to relax. They suggested I should
try to make them enjoy each moment of the lesson because if one manages to keep the pupils’
attention during the whole class then it means it was a useful lesson. So, they also insisted on
raising the children’s motivation. Similarly, in Romania I was told that “Both teaching and
learning should be fun” (G.B. Ilieș, pedagogy teacher)

I shall give a brief example of how the instructor greatly motivated the pupils so that by the end
of the lesson, they were eager to know more about Spanish cuisine. An important factor that

38
Comparison between teaching and learning Adriana Ienuțaș
a foreign language in U.K. and in Romania
influenced this event was the fact that there was a dining room inside the school building. At a
vocabulary lesson with the topic “Food”, the Spanish teacher succeeded in motivating the pupils
by bringing to class three traditional Spanish dishes. After saying how delicious and tasty they
were, when the instructor presented each national specialty from the ones brought, he mentioned
also the ingredients. The pupils tried to learn the words, memorize and pronounce them well.

What caught my attention was the fact in this class, the new words were learned due to a variety
of methods and techniques, especially games. I will try to highlight them in the order they were
presented:

First, there was a presentation on a video-projector with Spanish food. The background
commentary was given by a native speaker; the words being accompanied by a native
pronunciation allowed the children to connect the image with the sound and the right spelling.

Furthermore, the teacher showed them the images, pronounced the words and asked the students
to repeat altogether and individually. On a handout they received previously, the learners had to
write five favourite foods and compare them with the colleague’s ones. In the end, they had to
communicate to the whole class what they had in common; each pair did that.

This moment was followed by a Memory game in which the teacher used flashcards. On one
flashcard was written a word and on another one there was an image with the word’s meaning.
The teacher shuffled the flashcards and after asked the pupils to work in pairs and match the
images with the words. Afterwards, the learners were given a worksheet consisting of a table
where were written types of food. Their task was to use the same colour for the words which
refer to: cereals, sweets, fruit and meat products.

Another interactive game worth being mentioned used at this class was the Guessing Game
called “What is in the box?” (¿Qué hay en la caja?). In the box there could be any of the three
traditional dishes. To make the pupils’ job easier, the teacher gave them hints. They were told in
Spanish a part of the recipe’s ingredients so that they could guess if it is a tortilla, paella or
churros.

39
Comparison between teaching and learning Adriana Ienuțaș
a foreign language in U.K. and in Romania
The evaluative moment was made through the game: “How can I help you?”(¿En qué te puedo
servir?). In this case, the learner apart from being obliged to use and apply all the vocabulary
learned during the class, also developed his speaking skills, and revised how to ask for a product
and explain what it is made of. As a reward, for the ones who knew all the words, the pupils
would have to come to the teacher’s chair/ stage and say which dish they would like to taste. If
they knew what it was made of (what ingredients), they would receive a piece of it. If learners
wanted some more they would have to determine again what the dish was made of. The dishes
were the following:

Tortilla
-huevos (eggs)
-patatas (potatoes)
-pimiento (pepper)
-cebolla (onion)
Paella
-arroz (rice)
-carne (meat)
-legumbres (vegetables)
Churros con chocolate
-harina (floor)
-mantequilla (butter)
-azúcar (sugar)
-chocolate (chocolate)
-aceite (oil)
As a result, the impact was remarkable as there had been used all the types of analyzers: visual,
auditory/ auricular, olfactory and tactile. The more stimuli the teacher used the better the
information was learned. The lesson ended with a smile on the pupils’ faces.

While attending Spanish classes I noticed that the instructor manages to arise the pupils’
curiosity and taste for the culture and civilization of the language he taught. After such a lesson

40
Comparison between teaching and learning Adriana Ienuțaș
a foreign language in U.K. and in Romania
the children wanted to try out the recipes at home and look for other ones. They also seemed
enthusiastic and engaged. The two key factors here were: motivation and reward.

When I asked the Spanish teacher whether she prepared so many materials and such a variety of
games and exercises in order to give me a model as I attended the class she replied that: “I love
to teach Spanish through games, movement and everyday activities. Creating fun, easy Spanish
lessons for kids, not only enriches their development, but keeps the language learning alive”.
(Rebekka) She also stated that by teaching kids through activities that are relevant to their lives,
you are giving them a great head start in their bilingual development.

A problem I faced teaching Spanish to Irish pupils was that I began writing the words on the
board. I would read and ask them to repeat. After that, they were expected to take notes/ write
them down on their copybooks. While doing this they would lose interest whereas in Romania
they would listen because in the Romanian context teachers use this strategy a lot. I also gave
them a handout with a list of twenty Spanish words and I asked them to circle the words which
seemed easier to memorize or pronounce. Some of the words included in the handout were: guía
(guide), jabón (soap), lluvia (rain), etc. The students did not circle the words which contained
sounds or letters that do not exist in English such as: “ll”, “n”.

The conclusion is that any method before being applied should be carefully analyzed by the
teacher to see whether it fits to that country and culture, but also to the level of the pupils.

41
Comparison between teaching and learning Adriana Ienuțaș
a foreign language in U.K. and in Romania

42
Comparison between teaching and learning Adriana Ienuțaș
a foreign language in U.K. and in Romania

3.2. English - a West Germanic language taught in a Latin

space

These days, there is no doubting the fact that the English language is becoming something of a
forerunner in global communication. It is the language of choice in most countries of the word.

English language teachers often face various difficulties and challenges while teaching English
as a foreign language. There are many reasons for this. Let us look at some of the most important
ones.

Pronunciation: One of the biggest difficulties a teacher faces when teaching English as a second
language is to inculcate proper pronunciation in native speakers. The English language has a
number of characteristic features which most foreign speakers do not imbibe readily. That is the
reason why different regions have their own English accents. So if English is spoken in 50
different regions, it is likely that it is spoken in 50 different ways. This also explains why many
students have great difficulty in understanding native English. Thus, there is a very clear gap to
be bridged between the teacher and their students before actual communication and education
starts.

Grammar: The fact that English grammar has its own set of complicated rules and regulations
makes it a tough language to conquer. A good number of students struggle with these rules, and
cannot really understand many of the principles on first or second reading. To make matters
worse, English itself is of different varieties. Therefore, students may find the Queen's English
quite different from American English.

Here is an example of the most common exercises used in Romania that focuses on the
development of the following: reading, writing and listening. The main purpose of this type of
exercise is to clarify the correlation between spelling and meaning.

1. The dump truck helped_____________the rocks.

a) haul b)hall
2. Put in the handle to active the _____________
a) bracke b)break
3. I ____________more about dynosaurus than anyone.
a) know b) no
4. The lamp hangs from the:
a) sealing b) ceiling
5. The bird___________ out the window.
a) flu b) flew
6. The ____________ of cows munched grass.
a) heard b) herd
7. ______________you like it or not you are going.
a) weather b) whether
8. The girl ________________out of boredom.

43
Comparison between teaching and learning Adriana Ienuțaș
a foreign language in U.K. and in Romania
a) side b) sighed
9. The plants will ___________ without water.
a) dye b) die
10. The tree_____________ over the storm.
a) blew b) blue
11. The juicy ___________looked delicious.
a) pear b) pair
12. ___________ coming home for the holidays.
a) their b) they’re c) there
13. Snakes have ____________feet.
a) know b) no
14. _______________me in San Francisco.
a) meat b) meet
15. My sandwich was stuffed with ____________.
a) meet b) meat
16. The students walked through the___________.
a) haul b) hall
17. I put milk in my ______________.
a) serial b) cereal
18. In one___________ I will be leaving.
a) hour b) our
19. She ___________ all the words of the song.
a) knows b) nose
20. It’s as plain as the ________________ on your face.
a) knows b) nose
21. I will __________the shirt with lots of colours.
a) dye b) die
22. She _____________ carried a shovel.
a) minor b) miner
23. The kids enjoyed ___________ ice-cream cones.
a) there b) they’re c) their
24. The __________ drank from the stream.
a) deer b) dear

Teaching English as a foreign language is a challenging, yet rewarding career choice.

As an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher, you must learn to constantly adapt to your
students needs. Many times, this means dealing with a variety of problems in the classroom,
many of which are all too common occurrences. A good ESL teacher must be able to recognize
these common problems, and work to find solutions. Even a small tweak in teaching methods
can help to create a more productive and casual environment for both you and your students.

Staying awake and interested in class can be difficult. But what's even more difficult is being
responsible for keeping students awake and interested. This is the job of an ESL teacher first and
foremost. In order to be a great ESL teacher, one must not only teach, but inspire and empower.

44
Comparison between teaching and learning Adriana Ienuțaș
a foreign language in U.K. and in Romania
The goal is to excite the students about learning, speaking, reading, writing, and comprehending
English.
Grammar can be introduced after basic linguistic competence is acquired, as a means of
reflecting on academic language and an intellectually interesting activity in its own right. Some
grammar is in any case necessary for the ability to meaningfully make use of dictionary entries,
as learner-dictionaries now incorporate a fair amount of “grammar” and usage as notes and in
their coding. Grammar is not a route for developing primary or usable knowledge of language,
but it can serve as a tool for increasing the language repertoire and for understanding the
construction of text “rhetoric” and argumentation.

Speaking-Beginning to speak

In mother tongue(s) learning, speech progresses from a one-word, mostly nouns, stage to the
production of multi-word sentences with verbs, auxiliaries, determiners, adjectives, and
prepositions, perhaps through a two-word stage. Some research at CIEFL (Jangid 2005; Vijaya
(in progress)) suggests that second-language learner-speech progresses through similar stages.
Typically, learner control of language is reflected in longer mean length of utterance; sustained
language input is reflected in such a growth in output (in response, for example, to pictures
shown to the child). In contrast, children from rigidly taught classrooms remain inarticulate, or
produce single words, mostly nouns, in response to such pictures. Thus, teachers can get an
intrinsic sense of language growth in the child with such a task, administered at three or four-
month intervals

45
Comparison between teaching and learning Adriana Ienuțaș
a foreign language in U.K. and in Romania

3.3. Ways of teaching – comparison

A major difference between the Romanian educational system and the Irish one could be the
schools’ typology. Their tradition for years was to group the students in schools for boys and for
girls. This did not prove to be such a good idea. Of course, they had their arguments to create
these schools. They argued that boys and girls have different learning styles. Also there is the
case of the introverts who can feel free to be themselves in a segregated school. In reality there
were more drawbacks to this single-gender education than to a co-educational system. However,
in Northern Ireland for a few years, five or six, teachers attempted to create mixed-schools where
boys and girls could study together. But, as any reform, it experienced difficulties which resulted
in organizing only a few experimental schools. At the moment many Irish schools now are still
segregated. Consulting the teachers’ opinion from a school I attended in Belfast, I received the
following answers: “I have been teaching Mathematics for more than thirty years up to now. The
first years of my career I taught in a grammar school for girls and now I ended up teaching in a
college for boys. In my opinion boys and girls should attend separate schools because, after all
these years I have noticed that either boys or girls seem to be more cooperative, but at the same
time competitive among themselves. Their progress is higher in this type of schools”. By
contrast, Mrs. Briege Ellis – an Irish teacher from a mixed-school seems enthusiastic about the
new ways of teaching applied to co-educational schools. She stated that: “The real world is
integrated and students have to be prepared to live altogether. Besides, a good education does not
mean only high grades or to score well in a test”.

An aspect that would increase the teaching quality is that those who want to become foreign
language teachers in Northern Ireland must teach at least one year in the country where the
language they specialized in is official. Therefore, the teachers do not only hear the language and
talk to native speakers but also get to feel it and understand better the culture and the customs of
the country where he goes to. In Romania one becomes a teacher soon after graduating the
Faculty of Letters. He must pass an admission exam in order to enter the educational system.

Regarding the way of teaching in Romania, from what I observed, unfortunately there are many
teachers that follow the classroom manuals instead of the curriculum. Another drawback of the
Romanian educational system would be that the skill competences are developed only
theoretically. Teachers still apply old-fashioned methods (dictation, lecture etc.)
There are few teachers that attend training courses related to modern methods. Both Romanian
and Irish teachers apply flashcards while teaching. It is important to mention that there are two
types of flashcards. The first type is used for checking because on one side is written the answer
and on the other one is the image. The second type of flashcards requires the learner to associate
the image with the writing. It depends on the teacher’s purpose; that I why it is said that the
approach of the lesson belongs to the teacher.

Concerning the students discipline one can say that they are used to be quiet when the teacher
speaks, to listen to each other, not to laugh when one of them makes mistakes. In Romania, soon
after the 1989’s revolution, people would drop anything that could be associated with
communism. This led to a decrease of learner’s discipline. For instance, in Belfast it is a pride to

46
Comparison between teaching and learning Adriana Ienuțaș
a foreign language in U.K. and in Romania
wear uniforms. They are considered to be the symbols of the college where one studied. On the
contrary, in Romania there are heated debated about this topic. The uniforms are not compulsory
although there are more and more parent who discovered how practical this can be.

There are certain requirements for teacher’s clothing too. Both in Romania and in Northern
Ireland the teachers are recommended to dress formally; they ought to have a decent outfit, to be
proper and elegant for the class. The distinction is that the Irish give you practical guideline with
what a teacher should not wear. For example, it is forbidden to come to school with jeans – as
they consider this material worn by those with less education. Even the principal acknowledged
that educated people choose different clothes. In the case of women, they should pay attention to
the size of their skirt. If teachers still come to school wearing clothes that they are not allowed to,
they cannot enter the classroom.

Related to the teaching system there are a few aspects I would like to illustrate. First of all, one
must know that the students’ parents, in Northern Ireland do not have such an influence or power
upon the educational system. They cannot get into a teacher’s stuff. There are even fines for
parents. How do the Irish justify the existence of fines? They argue that the parents’ duty is to
teach their offspring what common sense is so that they will not disturb the class. In this respect
the teachers made up a record (register) where all the students mistakes are kept.

As for the assessment method in Northern Ireland, the newness that it brings is that it gives one
the opportunity to relate to others. To make things clear, let us take my situation. At the end of
the semester along with the grades I received further explanation. I took A for Anglo-Irish
Literature and below the grade it was written: “At this subject 7% of the students got A”. At
another topic, Irish culture and civilization where I got B was written that 43% of the students
have got that grade. In this way one can relate to the others. Receiving the results and the
feedback this way parents have a better image of their child’s level. They know can establish
whether their child is situated among the firsts or among the last ones in the class. This would
help them take measures in time. Irish teachers do not make level scales with the first three
students of the class, instead they group the pupils on the following levels:
 a very good level;
 a good level;
 a weak level.
Having these things said one should be aware of the fact that also the lesson plans ought to be
made by levels (see appendix page.). This does not mean that a lesson made for an intermediate
level cannot develop. In the example shown in the appendix I presented a similar teaching
activity on vocabulary.
Activity for weak level Activity for good level Activity for very good level
1. Medium 1. Hard 1. Really hard
2. Extension 2. Extension 2. Extension

Whenever the parents want to see how their children react during classes, they are allowed to
come and attend them after filling in a form requested by the college. They must establish an
appointment previously. For example if they want to attend a class in October, they need to fill
the form on September. The parents are also given the opportunity to check the online catalog

47
Comparison between teaching and learning Adriana Ienuțaș
a foreign language in U.K. and in Romania
and see their child’s results. Also online, teachers send emails or post on a web page messages
either of congratulation or warning. However, there are no students that receive only warnings.
The Irish try to see the bright side of a student. By these activities the teacher intend to let the
parents know the child’s skills in order to guide well in the future. I was presented the story of a
boy who was not good neither at Mathematics nor at foreign languages. Thus he had received a
number of warnings. His instructor – a teacher of foreign languages – found out in a trip
organized by school that this boy was brilliant at touristic orientation. He never got lost.
Furthermore, he helped the others guide themselves by taking landmarks.

Of a great help is the teacher assistant. Each teacher, no matter what subject he teaches is
accompanied by an assistant. The role of this person is to help the teacher share the handouts,
check the homework and so on. Moreover, the teachers in Northern Ireland do not perform the
tasks of a teacher on duty. There is no such thing there. Teachers do not need to stay on the large
corridors or in the school yard to look after the students. These are the responsibilities of the
security staff (guardians). One does not need higher education to fulfill that role. I consider this
an important advantage for the teachers because they can save time and get ready for the
following activity. For a better organization, each student is supposed to have a badge. This way
they can be identified by all the college staff.

When it comes to describing the Irish educational system, the resources represent an important
factor as well. The resources are a benefit both for the teacher and for the learner. It is essential
to explain that in Northern Ireland teachers have a special room or lab filled with didactic
material designed to the subject they teach. In other words, the teacher does not move from a
classroom to classroom, the students have to change the rooms according to the subject they
have. For instance, I stayed in the Spanish lab and figured out that the learners were used to this.
Somehow they became more independent. In our country there were shy attempts to adopt this
idea. They tried to create at least one lab for modern languages where the teachers could work.
But it was slightly difficult because there was just one lab for all the modern language teachers.
So the English teacher would have to share the same lab with the German, French and Spanish
one. The process of enriching the resources for didactic materials in Romania is quite slowly
because the government does not perceive it as a priority. Where there are resources they are due
to the parents’ donations.

The daily schedule of the students is from 8 a.m to 4 p.m. In the afternoon the students attend
after school clubs and programs. I must mention that the after school activities take place in
school. The optional courses are indeed functional. I think they really work because by the time
the students graduate they will be able to play an instrument, to practise a sport and many other
things. In the Romanian system there are the so-called student-clubs, but do not seem so
effective either because they are expensive or because they are outside the school building.

An idea which Romanian teachers should embrace is the pass card used when a student needs to
go to the toilet during the class. It is not enough to ask for the teacher’s permission, the student
also needs a pass card that might be checked by the guardians that are on the hall.

48
Comparison between teaching and learning Adriana Ienuțaș
a foreign language in U.K. and in Romania
Something I admired about the Irish educational system was that, once the lesson started no one
can disturb the teacher, not even the headmaster as the doors close from inside. Half of the door
is made of glass so those staying on the corridor can watch. Anyway, in each and every room
there are video cameras which record the lessons. The signals are both video and audio. The
school’s principal switches from one room to another. Whenever an incident occurs he would
come and see what the problem is. I know these things because I was invited to see how the
cameras work.

There is one aspect in which Irish teachers appear to be old-fashioned. Schools and colleges in
Northern Ireland have an assembly hall where are held meetings, notifications or are given
warnings. All the staff must be present. This would be the equivalent of the old Romanian
squares. Romania gave up to this idea because these public meetings used to take place during
communism and are said to be extremely stressful. I also perceive this school squares as
something oppressive because one can see the fear on the faces of those who know that have
done something. The effects are immediate. As everybody can see, there are advantages and
disadvantages of this kind of public meetings.

As far as I am concerned, it is much easier to be a teacher in the UK than in Romania.

 To begin with, the material resources speak for themselves. Depending on the equipment
a teacher has, he can plan the lesson. For example, if he has a video-projector he could
present a representative film that enhances the students’ knowledge.

 As for the parents, they do not interfere with the teacher’s job. They do not question the
teacher’s competences.

 The discipline is more rigorous. This could be explained also by the extreme measures
that are taken such as: warnings, expensive fines, expulsion.

 Most of the training courses for teachers are free. Teachers must take training courses
regularly.

 Speaking for myself, teaching the modern language you specialized in, at least for one
year in a country where that language is official, is a wonderful idea. I strongly believe
that improves a lot anybody’s teaching skills. It should be compulsory in Romania too.

 The recent concept of having the title of mentor was brought to Romania from the UK
educational system. Now, we are just at the beginning, but their system had this idea of
providing a mentor to the teachers in the first years of their career long time ago. By a
mentor they refer to an experienced person who helps someone with less experience in
their jobs.

 Personally, the social status of a teacher is more respected in Northern Ireland than in
Romania. In my country, there is a lack of respect for teachers; they are not regarded well
as the mass-media insists on presenting negative examples (drunk teachers, violent
students, accidents etc.) of what happens in schools. All these have damaged the people’s

49
Comparison between teaching and learning Adriana Ienuțaș
a foreign language in U.K. and in Romania
perception of the person in charge of teaching. I would like to point out one significant
example. During my stay in Northern Ireland, I witnessed a teacher’s strike. What do you
think they fought for? Money? Work conditions? On the headline of a local newspaper a
senator included the teachers in the group of public workers. The teachers considered that
the appellation of public workers is beneath their social status.

 Last but not least, the teachers are highly motivated by the wages.

After comparing the two teaching strategies we can draw the conclusion that the teaching
strategies depend on the culture of the country in which one teaches. As we have seen previously
a method that is useful or successful in Romania might not have the same effects in Northern
Ireland. For instance, in Romania it is very normal to write on the blackboard with chalk, to give
the pupils a list of words that they will have to learn by heart because Romanian pupils are used
to this. In contrast, in Northern Ireland they do not even use chalk whenever it comes to writing
on the boards. I had an embarrassing situation there where the training teacher (the mentor)
asked me to explain to the Irish pupils what does an old black board look like and describe a
piece of chalk. On the other hand, a successful teaching strategy in Northern Ireland and in the
UK would be role-play. They use it after almost each type of lesson. In Romania this method has
proved to have less effect than in the UK because here the students are not encouraged to speak
in a foreign language and do not gain confidence.

All these thoughts put down here are based on direct observation of my stay in Northern Ireland.

50