English Phonetics: A Brief Reflective Note on a Session

In a session regarding English Phonetics during the training for public sector elementary teachers of Gilgit-Baltistan, the teachers were found to be motivating and engaging in the initial stages of the session. They were found to be participating as well as paid attention to the session. Their responses to the facilitator’s questions showed that learning takes place among them. By the mid of the session, teachers maintained their motivation towards learning phonetics which was almost new and interesting for them. In the last segments of the session, the teachers were found exhausted and lost their motivation and at last, they requested the facilitator to wind up the session by being saturated.

There were some significant factors which caused the teachers to be exhausted who were motivated and engaged. A huge amount of content on English phonetics selected for the session was a factor for making the teachers being exhausted. Another factor was the deep engagement of the teachers in the rigorous learning tasks. The most important factor is when learning takes place among the learners they get tired because according to Wolfolk (2007), the learning process is always hard and uncomfortable. One more factor may be included as usually public sector school teachers tend to be reluctant to carry out academic learning tasks. Hence, here they were ever engaged and going through a learning activity that required their uninterrupted attention which made them got tired.

It means that access amount of content on English phonetics for the duration of insufficient time may reduce the motivation and energies of the learners. Changed mode among the teachers from attentive to exhaust meant that there was little real learning has taken place. This data reveals one more meaning that individuals who are reluctant to do the rigorous academic tasks easily get tired if they are compelled to be engaged in busy and uninterrupted attention-demanding tasks.

The analysis of the narrated event, factors involved and meanings regarding session on English phonetics leave some implications for educators as the amount of content needs to be carefully and appropriately selected for the specified time. The objective for such sessions needs to be set by looking grasping and picking the level of the learners. For reluctant individuals, such types of academic learning tasks need to be assigned in pieces so that they will gradually increase the pace of their learning and reduce the reluctance level.

Woolfolk, A. (2007). Educational psychology (10^th ed.). Boston: Pearson