Language Class Management For Effective Learning

Teaching English language to undergraduates in Universiti Teknologi MARA has always been a challenging and inspiring experience for language lecturers who are constantly reviewing and improving teaching techniques. In recent semesters, undergraduate English language courses have been concentrating on English for specific purposes (ESP) and one of them is the BEL492 Presentation Skills. The course which usually takes fourteen weeks to complete has been coupled by constraints of evaluations, number of students in a group and number of teaching hours per week. Considering these limitations, teaching-learning process has to be wisely and strategically arranged in order to optimise the learning process. To assist English teachers in meeting these challenges, this paper explores the notion of learner autonomy that moves the focus from teaching to learning, affording maximum possible exposure to the students, encouraging team work through peer support and cooperation, all of which can be manifested by students taking charge of their learning themselves with the constant facilitation by the lecturer. This paper also shares some workable techniques that could be applied in order to enhance effective acquisition of presentation skills amongst tertiary students.