A case study of leaners of English in the Lower Sixth (PIH) Class of Dressmaking in Cameroun:

1. IATEFL CONFERENCE
Belfast May 2022
Presenter;
Ita Frinwie T. Ndifon
ndifri1602@yahoo.com
+237 677 92 0867

2. A case study of leaners of English in the Lower
Sixth (PIH) Class of Dressmaking in Cameroun:
 These are Francophone students learning English as a
foreign language.
 They have been studying English for 6 years with
different teachers.
 Still cannot speak fluently.

3. A case study of leaners of English in the Lower Sixth
(PIH) Class of Dressmaking in Cameroun:
 Success is a lot of small things well done.
 Victory is the product of Commitment and persistence
 It does not matter how many failures you have encountered
 Nor how many mistakes you have made along the way
 The willingness to learn new ways and make changes count.

4. This research was carried out against
background of:
 frustration for failing to motivate my learners to speak
using the language thought
 Disappointment to have the designed negotiation and
debate activities motivate all of my learners to speak
fluently.

5. Realisation:
After sharing my challenges with my colleagues and mentor, I
realised that:
 My assumption that my learners were not motivated was
unilaterally made.
 Solutions to their problems were unilaterally developed and
dished out to them following the top-bottom approach.
 Consequently, my lesson planning and my approach to
choosing my speaking activities were flawed.

6. New Approach
After sharing and counseling from webinars:
 I reviewed my assumptions about my learners
 I realised the need to involve my students in my search for
solutions to their problem
 I discovered that their opinion and feedback would be of
importance to my activities in class, hence to solving their
problem.

7. A. Invited a colleague to observe my lesson and to make
remarks about my learners' behavior
Things I did to learn more about the situation:
 Lesson on “Fashion and Clothes”. She made the following
comments at the end of the lesson.
 Learners are attentive, make effort to follow lesson, were shy
to ask questions, did not have appropriate words to use in
asking questions, blend English with French in order to
communicate and some were distracted.

8. B. Questionnaires and interviews administered to learners.
These sought to know:
Things I did to learn more about the situation:
 If they like speaking English
 what discourages them from speaking
 their opinion about the activities carried out in class.

9. Things I did to learn more about the situation:
C. Interviews carried out to confirm their responses on individual
basis
They gave the following reasons why they did not like to speak:
 afraid to make mistakes
 did not want to be mocked
 could not pronounce correctly
 did not know the right words to use.
Points for what they liked:
 listening to news bulletins and reporting in class
 vocabulary drills/visit to workshops
 seeking their opinions
 performing sketches
 role playing or called up to answer questions
 shorter items treated within the time frame for mastery.

10. What I found out
I found out that:
 the assumptions I made were false
 learners were interested in speaking English
 I needed to diversify activities
 It is very important to make my learners an integral part of
the conception and dispensation of my lessons.

11. What I changed
New classroom rules during English Classes were developed
with them. We resolved that:
 Everyone should be encouraged to speak
 Individuals should make an effort to speak
 their opinions should be taken into consideration when choosing
topics or exercises
 severe sanctions should be meted out to those who mock others
 their different learning methods or desires should be taken into
consideration when preparing a lesson.

12. A very interactive lesson during which:
Sample lesson that confirmed change
“Lesson on vocabulary of sewing a dress”
 some learners asked to be drilled in the pronunciation of
some workshop vocabulary (drill in words like needles,
thread, a pair of scissors etc)
 a vocabulary game was played in pairs. Structures like
 What is this?
 How do you call this?
 What is the name of …?
were reinforced.
 they asked from peers and got re-enforcement from the
teacher.

13. Conclusion
In this new method
 Learners take more responsibility for learning
 They express their opinion freely
 They learn from their peers too
 The teacher becomes a guide, coach or source of new material
or reinforcement as need arises.
 Learners were satisfied as they could explain the process of sewing
a dress in simple English.
 Make your learners an integral part of the conception and
dispensation of your lesson and you will not regret it.

14. Thank you for
your kind
attention