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My Classroom: India - Coggle Diagram
My Classroom: India
Dr. Santosh Kumar Mahapatra's story
about his way of teaching English as a second language
Dr. Mahapatra teaches a variety of courses
at the Birla Institute of Technology and
Science (BITS) Pilani, a private, nonprofit
university in Hyderabad.
his focus is on
English language
teaching
Technical Report
Writing to first-year students
Advanced Communicative English to second- and third-year students
Challenge of of teaching large classes
Dr. Mahapatra' main strategy
is to use pair work to assess in-class writing
after students complete their writing tasks, they exchange essays with a partner
and grade one another’s essay by using the
rubric
After students have finished grading the essays,
they return them and talk about their
evaluations
While students complete their tasks, Dr. Mahapatra is available to
answer any questions that students may have.
Each classroom at BITS Pilani is equipped
with projectors, audiovisual equipment, and
Internet connectivity (these are resources that
not all universities in India have).
Two styles of classrooms
with stadium
seating
“flat” classrooms with immobile
furniture
He has the
freedom to supplement with materials that
he generates himself or that he finds on the
Internet or in other textbooks.
Designing his own courses
English Conversation Skills course
uses drama
and technology as foundations
skits and
media are integral components
groups of four or five
students write a script on a social issue or
any other topic they find interesting
The rubrics for course
are flexible
this course can help students decrease the
gap between written and spoken English.
Introduction to Critical
Pedagogy
includes readings by Paulo
Freire, Antonio Gramsci, and others
encourages students to think about
alternatives to mainstream education
His teaching style is “unorthodox"
he deals with the fixed
seating by using pair-work activities, moving
around the classroom, having the students
move to sit around him in the front of the
class, and creating opportunities for drama
and skits.
when he was a student himself he struggled
to express himself orally in English.
he earned his first master’s degree, in
English Literature from Berhampur University
in Orissa
He attended a postgraduate
diploma program in the Teaching of English
In 2007 he
enrolled in the English and Foreign
Languages University (EFLU)
He made every effort to speak English
"I didn’t have the money
to buy a computer, so I depended on the
radio to improve my English"
- he says
"I spoke only with those who could
speak good English, and the motivation was
to learn English.”
He also
spent time in the computer lab
watching YouTube, and he wrote for university
magazines to improve his writing.
He completed his PhD in English
Language Teaching, with an emphasis in
language assessment, from the University of
Hyderabad in 2015.
To maintain his English skills today,
he continues writing
and interacting in English as much as possible
He's reading academic
journals and writing to improve his academic
writing skills
He has authored articles in
academic journals and book chapters on
language assessment and teacher education.
He regularly participates in
professional development by attending
conferences and workshops
the importance of flexibility
Technology plays a large role in his way of teaching
It makes classes more interesting and keeps students motivated
games "useful shortcuts"
Dr. Mahapatra also teaches his students how to use technology using different tools (Prezi, Moodle, etc.)
Students make their own presentations and get the necessary feedback from their teacher
He also inspires a lot of students to continue studying Linguistics