Using apps in the english classroom as a support in teaching

Abstract

“Over the two years in which I observed the lessons, I realized learners had some issues, specifically with grammar. They always got it wrong writing or saying a sentence. When they were taught a new grammar item, they got confused trying to determine if one portion of the sentence had to be placed before or afterwards. The strategy I decided to implement was to suggest them the use of the <> app to practice grammar following the lesson as this would help them to maintain themselves in contact with the language and, at the same time, to practice and correct any mistake they could make in relation to the item. In order to be sure that the learner did practice the grammar item in the app, I gave them a mini test with exercises which were related to the grammar item being studied. When marking those tests, the results were good because learners understood in a better way when they completed the exercises by using their smart phones and the app. On the contrary, making a mistake was not regarded as something “that bad” because it was simply a fail and they tried again. This approach helped them to continue practicing without the burden of reckless error correction”.