Abdul Hameed Panhwar

This paper attempts to clarify the relationship between cooperative and collaborative learning and shows that cooperative learning could be more effective in the context of Pakistani higher education. It is argued that although both these approaches are forms of group work, cooperative learning is more structured and controlled. Collaborative learning, on the contrary, is not that structured and depends on students to work independently in groups without involving the instructor authority very much. Therefore, the researchers in this research paper tend to justify how the teaching of English as a second language (ESL) in Pakistani higher education is more or less teacher-cantered and exam-based and how a structured approach to group work like cooperative learning might be of a great assistance in teaching English language in Pakistani universities and colleges. Hence, the study, through the critical review of the studies on cooperative and collaborative learning, aims at providing t...

This paper examines communicative language teaching (CLT) and its significance in terms of language teaching and learning. The actual purpose of the paper is to explore the causes of failure of CLT in Pakistan and other developing countries in order to suggest the ways to make it successfully effective in the context. It is found that contextual problems such as overuse of traditional methods of teaching such as lecturing and large classes always come into clash with the use of CLT in the developing countries such as Pakistan because CLT is in fact a method developed and used in the developed countries where the contextual issues found in the educational institutes are rare as compared to developing countries.

This thesis reports a classroom-based action-research study conducted in the University of Sindh, Jamshoro Pakistan, where the researcher teaches English as a Second Language in large compulsory language support classes. The study aims to find an accessible solution to the problem that the majority of students do not actively engage with the learning process in these classes, and therefore fail to make satisfactory progress with their language learning. The problem was investigated through a cyclical process of planning, action, observation and reflection in the researcher’s own class. An initial literature review led to the hypothesis that a highly structured approach to group work, using permanent groups and regular cooperative learning strategies, could effectively improve participation without introducing the classroom management problems sometimes associated with group work in large classes. These strategies were introduced and regularly reviewed using the researcher’s own refl...

This paper examines and evaluates the character of Edna in Kate Chopin's novel 'The Awakening' from psychological perspectives in the light of theory of inter-personal relations by Sullivan. This character evaluation is carried out with the help of the textual analysis of the novel. The theory puts light on the relationships between people and their significant part in shaping the personality of individuals through communications with other people (characters). This article helps in interpreting multilayered personality of Edna in the perspective of her relationships with other characters in the novel and their crucial impacts on her mind. Most importantly, despite Edna's controversial inter-personal relationships, the paper examines that Edna's character is strong-willed and ostentatious, who at least makes independent decisions and resists societal challenges and familial constraints.

The teacher feedback has been considered very essential in improving students' academic learning specifically in the field of English language learning. This study used survey methods to collect data about the perceptions of University students carried and their preferences for teacher feedback on the following five components of composition i.e. organization, content/ideas, grammar, vocabulary and mechanics at the University of Sindh, Jamshoro. The findings/results suggest that the students of the university paid prodigious attention every time to the teacher feedback given on all the above components of composition and gave great importance to the teacher written feedback given on their written task. The results, in a way, indicate the students' interest of learning from the teacher feedback and emphasize that teachers should be constant in giving feedback to students. ____________________

This paper reviews the literature on Vygotskian theory of Socio-cultural learning and constructivist approach to teaching and learning and attempts to relate the socio-cultural theory to constructivism. The purpose of the paper is to investigate the ways socio-cultural theory helps to develop language pedagogies. Critical analysis of the literature on the socio-cultural theory suggests that the theory has potential for forming new context-oriented language teaching-learning pedagogies which can help teachers in maximising the effectiveness of their teaching and their student's learning. The review further suggests that the language pedagogies and activities developed from the sociocultural theory of Vygotsky may not only improve students' language skills, but it also has potential to develop students' cognition. Since theory promotes more and more communication of students with each other through scaffolding, that is, the Zone of Proximal development (ZPD) in Vygotsky's language. Thus, the theory directly points towards the promotion of student-centred learning by establishing learner autonomy.