2.3. Teachers' Attitudes towards Developing Communication
Skills through Collaborative Visualisation
As it has been mentioned in the literature review,
collaborative visualisation may be considered as collaborative learning
supported by visualisation. This technique that we have suggested as one
solution to develop students communication skills, we have asked teachers on
whether it can replace the traditional ways that already have been used. So,
question 8, which was asked to know whether collaborative visualisation can
replace the traditional ways
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of teaching, helped us to find that teachers do see that it is
more a support rather than a replacement. The idea to understand from this is
that advancements in educational technology are not about replacing traditional
teaching methods. Instead, many of today's modern teaching methods are simply
an evolution of older techniques; in other words, such new techniques complete
and support the old methods, the use of visual aids, then, supports learning
and enriches traditional learning experiences, it does not totally replace
them, we can make reference, here, to how visual aids are described by Kinder,
(cited in Ghulam, 2015) where he has said that a visual aids are «any
devices which can be used to make the learning experience more real, more
accurate and more active».
The results of question 9 dealing with teachers' opinions on
collaborative visualisation, permits to know how important collaborative
visualisation can be, all the teachers focus on the fact that this technique is
a good strategy that should be encouraged. This is because any new technique
that brings new things and supports the teaching and learning process has to be
encouraged. Collaborative visualisation combines between two important
elements: Collaborative learning which has a very good impact on students'
input and visualisation, which is included in technology that all students like
and use in their learning process. This involves the use of different visual
aids such as films, YouTube videos and pictures which have visual effects that
help students to understand more and motivate them to comment on what they see
together. Thus, this helps them to promote their communication skills .as
mentioned in the review of the literature; these visual effects draw the
audience's attention and make the learners feel confident (Hiral, 2015). We
infer from this, that this combination positively affects students' outcomes
and anything that helps students and facilitates learning and teaching for
teachers as well is welcomed, that is why they all agree that it is good and it
should be encouraged.
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Chapter IV Discussion of the Findings
The findings of question 10 where we asked teachers whether
they think that using collaborative visualisation would improve students'
communication skills, to identify the importance of collaborative visualisation
in promoting students' communication skills in English, indicate that teachers
do all agree that this technique is important and help students to better
communicate. It enhances involvement, participation and interaction in the
classroom and this promotes communication; it motivates students because making
use of such techniques makes things to them clearer and they feel confident to
participate and speak. It also makes the class enjoyable and funny, and this
helps them to freely communicate. They also become creative since they may
suggest collaborative visualisation activities they like, and this promotes the
interaction between them and their teachers. Students always welcome activities
they do in groups using computers, data show presentations, videos, pictures
because they better understand, easily assimilate and remember what they are
learning because they have its image in mind. We can refer to what has been
mentioned in the review of the literature concerning this point; students have
more chances to learn what they see, what they say and what they do (Cuban,
2001 cited in Ghulam et al,2015: 226). Also, it is a technique that leads to
debate, as it is explained in teachers' answers to question 11, because,
according to them, students when they see something together, they are most of
the time motivated to debate it and this contributes in the development of
their communication skills.
As a final point, we have directed a final question on the
difficulties that can be faced if collaborative visualisation will be
implemented. All the teachers who have been interviewed have agreed on the lack
of materials because this kind of techniques requires appropriate technological
devices to use it; like computers, televisions, data shows, large pictures,
special rooms and not everything is available here in the Department. But here,
there is one possibility that teachers might miss which is the ability to
implement this kind of techniques asynchronously, and this by giving students
group activities to do at home through
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Chapter IV Discussion of the Findings
a shared network like wiki space from which the teacher can
check to wither they accessed or not, or o ask their students to watch a film
or a video at home and come in class and debate it, and other factors that we
have suggested; like the lack of time because in short time, teachers can not
complete all the task with the use of this technique, but one of them said,
«A good planning and knowing how to systematise can make it
successful». In addition to other factors like the lack of motivation
of some students, we have also suggested the problem of large classes, in this
respect, one of the teachers have said, «Here we do not have such
problem, we do not have large classes.»We mentioned the difficulty in
the assessment of students' performance because they work in groups but,
according to teachers, this is possible somehow and it does not matter.
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