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Stephen R. Covey (2017) once explained the importance of priorities by using an experience he had in a business class. He stated that a professor stood in front of a group of students and set a large canning jar in front of them. He filled it to the top with rocks and asked the students if it was full. They responded yes. Then he took out a bucket of sand and filled the jar again, and students watched as the sand poured inside the spaces between the large rocks. The professor asked again if the jar was full. This time students hesitated, and with good reason. The professor proceeded to fill the jar with a pitcher of water, after which he asked the students to explain the purpose behind this visual demonstration. After several incorrect responses, (including something along the lines of. There is always room for more stuff in your life), the professor gave his answer, which amounts to this: Unless you put the rocks in first, they will never fit into the jar.

This story demonstrates the principle of prioritizing, of knowing what matters most and what matters least, and that what matters most must be placed in the first position. No doubt, this is a very relevant way to analyze your own ecosystem1 .

As you move forward in developing a lifestyle that incorporates language learning, you must constantly reflect on whether or not you have prioritized your tasks well. If you imagine your ecosystem as the canning jar, and your language tasks as items that fill up the jar, you can see how making the right decisions will increase your chances of not only enjoying the learning process but making it more successful. Always remember that it is not just “doing a lot of language stuff” that will bring you success but rather that by putting priorities in their place, language learning can happen on its own. Let’s talk about how to prioritize language learning tasks by using the metaphor of the canning jar itself and discuss two concepts: fixed and fluid.

(Dixon, Shane. The language learner guidebook: powerful tools to help you conquer any language. [S.l.]: Wayzgoose, 2018. Adaptado)

1 A language ecosystem describes a holistic environment that encourages and extends the learning and application of language beyond the classroom through a diverse system of tasks and incentives.

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All teachers, whether at the start of their careers or after some years of teaching, need to be able to try out new activities and techniques. It is important to be open to such new ideas and take them into the classroom.

But such experimentation will be of little use unless we can then evaluate these activities. Were they successful? Did the students enjoy them? Did they learn anything from them? How could the activities be changed to make them more effective next time?

One way of getting feedback is to ask students simple questions such as ‘Did you like that exercise? Did you find it useful?’ and see what they say. But not all students will discuss topics like this openly in class. It may be better to ask them to write their answers down and hand them in.

Another way of getting reactions to new techniques is to invite a colleague into the classroom and ask him or her to observe what happens and make suggestions afterwards. The lesson could also be videoed.

In general, it is a good idea to get students’ reactions to lessons, and their aspirations about them, clearly stated. Many teachers encourage students to say what they feel about the lessons and how they think the course is going. The simplest way to do this is to ask students once every fortnight, for example, to write down two things they want more of and two things they want less of. The answers you get may prove a fruitful place to start a discussion, and you will then be able to modify what happens in class, if you think it appropriate, in the light of your students’ feelings. Such modifications will greatly enhance the teacher’s ability to manage the class.

Good teacher managers also need to assess how well their students are progressing. This can be done through a variety of measures including homework assignments, speaking activities where the teacher scores the participation of each student, and frequent small progress tests. Good teachers keep a record of their students’ achievements so that they are always aware of how they are getting on. Only if teachers keep such kinds of progress records can they begin to see when teaching and learning has or has not been successful.

(Harmer, Jeremy. How to teach English. Londres: Longman, 1998)

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Traditional EFL classrooms face several challenges, including limited exposure to authentic language use, lack of engagement, and varying learner proficiency levels. Research indicates that reliance on non-authentic materials can hinder listening comprehension and motivation among students. For instance, substituting traditional listening inputs with spontaneous teacher discourse and storytelling has been proposed as a means to enhance engagement and provide authentic language exposure (Ypsilanti, 2024). Additionally, the integration of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approaches can bridge the gap between vocabulary learning and meaningful text production, fostering a more engaging learning environment (Balle & Olsen, 2023). Moreover, varying proficiency levels among learners often lead to common writing errors, such as grammatical mistakes and vocabulary misuse, which necessitate targeted instructional strategies to address these challenges effectively (Isma etal., 2023). Teachers also encounter difficulties in adapting to curriculum reforms and integrating digital media due to limited resources and training, which can further exacerbate engagement issues (Alnasib & Alharbi, 2024; Syarifuddin & Hz, 2023). Addressing these challenges requires innovative teaching strategies and a supportive infrastructure to enhance EFL learning outcomes.

(Sari, Nurhidayah. The Role of Technology in Facilitating EFL Learning: A Case Study Approach. Journal of Education Research, v. 5, 2024)

Read the text to answer question.

Stephen R. Covey (2017) once explained the importance of priorities by using an experience he had in a business class. He stated that a professor stood in front of a group of students and set a large canning jar in front of them. He filled it to the top with rocks and asked the students if it was full. They responded yes. Then he took out a bucket of sand and filled the jar again, and students watched as the sand poured inside the spaces between the large rocks. The professor asked again if the jar was full. This time students hesitated, and with good reason. The professor proceeded to fill the jar with a pitcher of water, after which he asked the students to explain the purpose behind this visual demonstration. After several incorrect responses, (including something along the lines of. There is always room for more stuff in your life), the professor gave his answer, which amounts to this: Unless you put the rocks in first, they will never fit into the jar.

This story demonstrates the principle of prioritizing, of knowing what matters most and what matters least, and that what matters most must be placed in the first position. No doubt, this is a very relevant way to analyze your own ecosystem1 .

As you move forward in developing a lifestyle that incorporates language learning, you must constantly reflect on whether or not you have prioritized your tasks well. If you imagine your ecosystem as the canning jar, and your language tasks as items that fill up the jar, you can see how making the right decisions will increase your chances of not only enjoying the learning process but making it more successful. Always remember that it is not just “doing a lot of language stuff” that will bring you success but rather that by putting priorities in their place, language learning can happen on its own. Let’s talk about how to prioritize language learning tasks by using the metaphor of the canning jar itself and discuss two concepts: fixed and fluid.

(Dixon, Shane. The language learner guidebook: powerful tools to help you conquer any language. [S.l.]: Wayzgoose, 2018. Adaptado)

1 A language ecosystem describes a holistic environment that encourages and extends the learning and application of language beyond the classroom through a diverse system of tasks and incentives.