Adys Maria Nassiff Samón is an Associate Professor and a MSc of Education at the Language Center of the University of Guantánamo. She is interested in updating  knowledge and practice  of foreign language teaching methodologies. She has written and co- written several articles on the teaching of English as a Foreign Language and enjoys working with creative and enthusiastic students from different levels. Email: adysns@cug.co.cu

Silvia Miriam Morgan Scott is a Full Professor, PhD. and a MSc in Educative Research at the Language Center of the University of Guantánamo. She has written and co- written several articles on the teaching of English as a Foreign Language and for Special Purposes. She enjoys working with creative and supporting coworkers and students from different levels who are dinamic Email: miriam@cug.co.cu 

Annia Rosales Romero is an Assistant Professor and MSc of Education at the Language Center  of the Guantánamo University. She has worked on different topics releated to the ELT as Foreign Language. She has written articles about the English teaching - learning process, and also about English Methology with coworkers and students too. Email: alexa@cug.co.cu

 

Introduction

The Covid-19 Pandemic has challenged professors all over the world to look for adaptive and creative methods to continue teaching and learning when attending school is unlikely. Making any appropriate setting fit for instructing and educating in a safe environment has been mandatory for education administrators, schools´ staffs and families. Moreover, the disease has  forced educators and parents to figure out innovative ways of teaching for the different levels of education and work together in an alliance that may turn into a more assertive and feasible future quality of education in Cuba.

The pandemic suddenly and rapid spread stunned and impacted people,in a negative way not only physically but psychologically. Students at the higher level who were about majoring in Cuba have been one of the most emotionally affected since their goals of graduating from university have, all of a sudden, become a question of when and how. Manywere frustrated and their motivational capacities lowered, driving education leaders, administrators and professors to give an appropriate response.

Although distance education has been an important and necessary way of teaching along with the support of the ICTs since many years ago; there are no predetermined strategies now that can give adequate answers on how to face the Covid- 19 era teaching- learning process.

While  students  with access to digital devices and internet is not the majority in Cuba,  the government  pays close attention in establishing effective forms of online education in order to forward their effort  on bringing unconventional learning   procedures  for those student who do not have parallel opportunities. The lack of available technological support for many of the students has systematically hampered the learning process. However, there is an upward at having devices as mobiles, PC or laptops and tablets by mostly younger people, that has permitted a more economized, individual and feasible teaching- learning process during the pandemic.

The educational resources intended for students, teachers and parents aim to continue educating students during the COVID-19   pandemic. Besides, there are other ways of teaching as video and TV lessons, which are being exploited in the present global pandemic crisis.

 

Research findings

The Language Center and the Department of Foreign Languages at the University of Guantanamo (UG), working in joint cooperation have stated some adaptive methodology for the last year students majoring in English as a Foreign Language with the aim of helping them accomplish the demands and requirements of the Ministry of Higher Education during the pandemic era.

The final aim is to train students to become professionals with communicative language competences, which empower them to act using specifically linguistic means.

 

Adaptive Teaching Methodologies of the Languages Center and the Department of Foreign Languages

The adaptive teaching methodologiesproposed here were designedfollowing the self- required social distance. In addition, the available online educational resources as the Moodle Platform, What Sapp and Facebook groups were created for the purpose of sharing information and interacting among students and professors. The general goal of these teaching practices is to facilitate the quick project process and implementation of adaptive responses to the evolving education challenges, and to protect young beginner student- teachers in their final dissertations and give educational opportunities during and following the pandemic.

 

First stage

1. Meeting the 5th year administrative professors with the objective of organizing and determining the best way the students` final project was going to be carried out.

• Research  paper
• Methodological lesson
• Interdisciplinary knowledge questions.

Through the last few years the research paper has been the elected option. As the COVID-19   pandemic is gaining space and making us to shift traditional ways of teaching and learning, the staff of the Languages Center and the Department of Foreign Languages at the UG decided that the methodological lesson along with the interdisciplinary knowledge questions would make the process be more feasible for the students. In addition, they will have to play an imminent role as teachers for the different levels of education by the beginning of September when schools reopen in the new present times conditions. Hence, this will allow them to be better prepared to teach and educate.

2.Assign each student an adviser who facilitates and guides through the process of planning the lessons and give answer to the questions.

3.Meeting with the 5^th year students.

• Explain the whole process and tasks.
• Each student meets his/her adviserprofessor.
• Discuss timetable and deadline.

 

Second Stage

4.Students and advisers work in the preparation and organization of the project.

• Students select a topic from the grade they were teaching as student teacher before March 2020. They need to choose the content from one of the units of the syllabus to plan the lesson.
• Students are assigned to study the contents of the different subjects such as Linguistics, Didactics, etc.  to be ready to answer  the interdisciplinary knowledge questions. They need to explain how they would teach them through the lessons.
• They are given time to work on the project. During this time they will get in touch with their advisers through the internet or telephone call.
• Assign students to consult the online educational resources to guarantee the continuity of teaching and learning during the pandemic.
• The main campuses at the UG have become improvised medical centers for the Covid 19 people under vigilance. During this same stage administrator of both departments get in contact with leaders of institutions with the necessary requirements to be used for the purpose of the students' dissertations. Some institutions such as the Law Club in the province have selflessly contributed.

 

Third stage

5. Following strictly social distance measures, students presented their dissertations. The results were relevant since they were able to illustrate and demonstrate their preparation through outstanding performances.

 

Conclusions

The students demonstrated that they could develop the cognitive, inter and intrapersonal skills while using the TICs, educational resources and adaptive methodologies.

The methodology provided here proved to be of a great importance and effectiveness for 5^th  year students majoring in English as a Foreign Language in the imperative and urgent task of supporting student`s opportunity to learn during this challenging difficult time shared amonghumanity.

 

References

Claudia, H, ( 2020) Interpretation of the CEFR Companion Volume for developing rating scales in Cuban Higher Education. CEFR Journal -vol 3-5

Chris, R, (2005) Face2Face. Cambridge University Press

Fernando, R, (2020) Supporting the continuation of teaching and learning during the COVID- 19 Pandemic. Global Education Innovation Iniciative, OECD

Jack C, R, ( 2005)Interchange Intro Textbook. Third Edition. Cambridge University Press

Mérida F, ( 2005) At Your Pace. Editorial Félix Varela

 

Please check the Pilgrims f2f courses at Pilgrims website.

Please check the Pilgrims online courses at Pilgrims website.