Papers by Dishari Chattaraj
A Phenomenological Inquiry into Learners' Experience of Consonance and Dissonance during the Pandemic in India
Routledge eBooks, Apr 6, 2023
Journal of English as an International Language, Dec 1, 2020
The study briefly analyzes the ELT situation in India which is replete with challenges emerging f... more The study briefly analyzes the ELT situation in India which is replete with challenges emerging from the lack of engagement with the phenomenon of digitality that further shapes the existing nature of learning and the needs of the learner. After locating the position of English Language in the new education policy of India, the paper discusses the General English (GE) courses offered at undergraduate level at the city of Bangalore in India, thereby shedding light on the existing gaps between policy and practice. It is based on this conjecture that the paper suggests the possibility of introducing rhetorical practices in GE courses at undergraduate levels in various institutions in urban India. In order to substantiate this suggestion, the results of a survey conducted with the learners (N=359) of a GE course based on rhetorics at a Southern Indian university is provided. Empirical data along with a brief reflection on the learners' voices are used in the study to examine the efficacy of the structure, administration and evaluation practices of this new course. The study thus opens up possibilities of initiating a discourse around the mode in which English language education and teaching is envisioned, formulated and implemented in undergraduate programs across urban India.
Asia Pacific Education Review, Nov 16, 2022
The disengaging experiences reported in the online mode of learning have resulted in considerable... more The disengaging experiences reported in the online mode of learning have resulted in considerable deliberations highlighting the need for pedagogical innovations. Therefore, it is crucial to rethink these ideas and develop pedagogical approaches that accommodate a dynamic understanding of learning spaces and meet the demands of the teaching-learning environment of the contemporary period. This study discusses the various steps through which the task-based autoethnographic pedagogical approach (TAPA) was implemented in an undergraduate-level Critical Food Studies course and proposes it as an effective approach to administering certain courses by enabling active learning in the online mode. The study captures learners' perceptions of meaningful online learning experiences by using an interpretative phenomenological approach, mapping the aspects that contribute to a sense of rekindled interest and involvement in the course. Some of the dominant patterns that emerge from this phenomenological study are (1) appreciation towards praxis-based online learning, (2) recognition of lived space as a ripe site for inquiry and learning, (3) a heightened sense of engagement with lived contexts, and identity discourses, (4) learners' negotiations with TAPA, and (5) learner as an active agent and curator of knowledge. Thus, while situating TAPA as an effective pedagogical approach for online learning and Critical Food Studies curriculum, it is also posited as an approach that initiates negotiation with the epistemic hierarchies within academia.
Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities
Food choices represent conscious affirmation and expression of personal, group, ethnic or nationa... more Food choices represent conscious affirmation and expression of personal, group, ethnic or national identity. Due to its multidimensional role, food that we rely on sustenance is often politicised and used as a tool to create conflict amongst and within diverse social groups. Assamese cuisine includes a rich platter of authentic food varieties, often limited to the north-eastern region. Although food consumption is a subjective experience, cultural taboos within a community might be acceptable practices in another culture, creating conflicting notions of food practices. The balance between the twin axis of culture and politics regarding food is disrupted when heterogeneous cultural patterns and opposing political notions are in discord. Similarly, the solidarity within a cultural group becomes hostile when the authority of the individual concerning food choices is not aligned with the authority of the social structure. This discord from a political and cultural standpoint is evident ...
International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 2020
Developing from the thesis that understanding is the key to any and all meaningful conversation/s... more Developing from the thesis that understanding is the key to any and all meaningful conversation/s, this study focuses on the facilitation of listening skills among foreign language learners. It is conducted with the objective to find out the most effective ways in which an instructor can enable the development of listening skills among the learners of a foreign language. This paper reports the findings of an empirical study which followed a cross-sectional research design and employed a survey method to elicit the data. Twenty-seven Foreign Language Instructors/ Associate Instructors teaching around thirteen different foreign languages across sixteen different universities in the United States of America participated and reported to a survey on effective pre-listening, listening, and post-listening tasks, activities, and strategies which they found to be the most powerful in their respective classrooms. Thirteen of the Seventeen strategies and or/ tasks which were provided in the Strategies for Facilitating Listening (SFL) questionnaire were rated to be highly effective in the facilitation of the development of listening skills among the learners. The paper after discussing the efficacies of the strategies and tasks at hand ends by analyzing the pedagogical implications of the findings.
Society, Mar 28, 2022
The paper explores how the experiences of the present pandemic are shaped by the memories of popu... more The paper explores how the experiences of the present pandemic are shaped by the memories of popular religious piety during past pandemics and epidemics. Taking insights from the works of Astrid Erll and Reinhart Koselleck, the process 'rememberingimagining system' within the context of the pandemic is discussed by tracing the reemergence of pandemic deities and narratives of piety in India. Using digitally documented and disseminated narratives on piety emerging during COVID-19, an attempt is made to understand how these narratives shape the experiences, responses, and collective memory of the pandemic. Through a discussion of the shift in the imagination of political leadership and the moral responsibilities of the community, an attempt is made to highlight the mode in which the narratives on piety shape the contours of a time that is otherwise unimaginable. The mediated memories of popular religious piety make it possible to remember similar crisis times and to imagine and reinstate the social order that is threatened by this sudden unimaginable crisis. The paper thus argues that within the context of India, popular religious piety, though often overlooked, becomes a significant part of making sense and shaping the experiences of the pandemic time.
Dear Reader, During the course of an interview for The Teacher Trainer, when Alan Maley asked NS ... more Dear Reader, During the course of an interview for The Teacher Trainer, when Alan Maley asked NS Prabhu to talk about the latter's most significant events in his teaching life, Prabhu's answer to the question had these opening sentences: "Early in my ELT career, I stumbled on Harold Palmer's Principles of Language Study. It's a very small book. I really was greatly moved by what I thought was a pedagogic sense of intuition and excitement in that book. It's a book I've read again and again since then." Palmer's books Principles of Language Teaching (1921) and The Scientific Study and Teaching of Languages (1917), which have had a great impact on many ELT professionals across the globe, have been read by them again and again. This year, when we celebrate the centenary of the publication of The Scientific Study and Teaching of Languages, it is worth recalling the contributions of Harold E. Palmer in the field of English language teaching and learning (ELTL). I thought it was important to include an article on Palmer, a pioneer in the field. Richard Smith, a Reader in ELT and Applied Linguistics at the University of Warwick, in the article "'Scientific' language teaching" says that Palmer's The Scientific Study and Teaching of Languages can be seen to have heralded a 'Scientific Period' of language teaching discourse. The quote by Palmer (1917) "it is not 'method' that we lack; what we lack is a basis for method" (translated from French into English by Richard Smith) provides food for thought for those involved in language teaching and realize the importance of scientific approach to language teaching. Recently, NS Prabhu delivered a keynote address at an international conference organized by SSN College of Engineering, Chennai. The key points (known as "The Five Points") he explained during his keynote address are presented in the article "Re-thinking language pedagogy". It is a very useful piece of writing which, I am sure, English language teachers will enjoy chewing and digesting. Besides regular features such as book reviews, reports and activities, this issue of JELT also features articles that focus on various language skills. Dishari Chattaraj in her paper "Mixed-Ability Classroom: A Look into a Typical Indian ESL Class" presents her study on a mixed-ability ESL class and pedagogical implications of the findings. In the paper "Reinventing the Mode of Teaching: Questioning as a way of learning (QWL)" Ritu R Agarwal shares her thoughts on questioning as a mode of learning and how questioning encourages learners' creativity. S Thiruvenkataswami in his paper "Process Writing Framework as a pedagogic tool in the context of ESL/EFL" proposes a Process Writing Framework (PWF) and discusses how it helps learners improve their writing and also serves as an effective pedagogic tool for teaching writing skills in English Language. R Jaya's paper "A Qualitative Study on Using Interactive Fiction for Enhancing Employability Skills" discusses how online interactive fiction can be used to enhance the employability skills of students. The article "Teaching Vocabulary Using Task-based Approach" by M Srilakshmi and M Kiranmai focuses on the effectiveness teaching vocabulary to ESL students within the framework of task-based language teaching. Happy reading!
Smart Learning Environments, 2021
The study, through the framework of mobility and space, explores the phenomenon of multiple shift... more The study, through the framework of mobility and space, explores the phenomenon of multiple shifts in learning spaces induced by COVID-19. The Interpretative Phenomenological Approach (IPA) is adopted to document the experiences and perceptions of learners caught within these spatial shifts—physical, online, and hybrid. Online interviews were conducted with six first-year undergraduate and three first-year postgraduate students enrolled at the department of English and Cultural Studies in a Southern Indian University. Some of the dominant patterns emerging from the accounts of the participants are (1) the changing perception of conducive learning space, (2) the changing perceptions and roles of various classroom actors, and (3) the evolving nature of the learners and the learning process. The study utilizes the framework of mobility to locate the stage of embodied skill acquisition of the participants within the online learning space and illuminates the possibilities offered by this...
Journal of Computers in Education
The study focuses on how the notion of learning space is perceived and experienced by learners in... more The study focuses on how the notion of learning space is perceived and experienced by learners in the Emergency Remote Learning (ERL) scenario. In doing so, the lived experiences of remote learners who were abruptly shifted to a completely online learning space due to the pandemic COVID-19 in the Indian higher education system are documented. Online interviews were conducted with eight undergraduate and four postgraduate students of English and Cultural Studies, enrolled at a Southern Indian university, and their responses were explicated using the Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach. The interviews revealed that the phenomenon of ERL is shaped by dissonance informed by the absence of a familiar learning space. Often the patterns of this dissonance were marked by (1) the perception of learning and learning space, (2) the lack of intimacy in learning and learning space, (3) the negotiations made for learning and the space of learning in ERL, and (4) the challenges to cope with the responsibilities of the ERL scenario. Further, the script approach was applied to analyse the data and the analysis revealed an expansion of the existing internal scripts that were based on previous learning experiences of the learners. The study thus establishes the centrality of space in the process of learning and points out how the lack of a familiar learning space is linked to the absence of internal scripts that considerably impact learning. The study concludes by discussing the possibilities of application of script approach to effectively incorporate the aspect of learning space in new pedagogies and learning models as Blended Learning (BL) and Online Learning (OL) become the new normal worldwide.
The present study, which is based on 50 1st year Calcutta University students, aims to study the ... more The present study, which is based on 50 1st year Calcutta University students, aims to study the diversity that exists in a typical Indian ESL Undergraduate classroom. And, in doing so it studies the variation in learners’ perceptions, their attitude towards English Language Learning and the present program, their language learning strategies, their perception of errors. The study also tests the performance of the students by means of a LAT and Free Composition test. It applies certain statistical tools and also uses Error Analysis as a tool to decipher the level of the students. The study ends by providing pedagogical implications of the findings.
The present study, after discussing the Language Learning Strategy (LLS) use made by the Foreign ... more The present study, after discussing the Language Learning Strategy (LLS) use made by the Foreign Language (FL) learners in the domain of Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking, analyzes the strategies from cognitive and metacogntive perspectives. The scope of the paper is not essentially quantitative, i.e., it is not restricted to the frequency of LLS use but it dwells on the qualitative domain by making an elaborate discussion on the impact of proficiency and learner variables like gender, level of study, motivation, level of confidence, medium of instruction in school and age of the learners on their respective LLS use. The paper ends by providing the pedagogical implications of the findings.
The Journal of English Language Teaching (JELT), 2015
English Language Teaching (ELT) in India is more than two centuries old and still, our... more English Language Teaching (ELT) in India is more than two centuries old and still, our students falter with the language. The objective of the present paper is to unravel this enigma and in doing so it adopts a deductive approach and critiques our language policy in education with an aim to locate the crux of the problem. The paper throws light on how our revered language policy in education is evidently monolingual under the façade of trilingualism. It goes on to establish that the position of English in the curriculum is that of a ‘subject’ and not a ‘language’ and divulges into questioning the standards the policy aims to achieve. Providing an instance of the convergent pedagogy model from an analogues postcolonial society, it offers a solution to the problem at hand with an aim to end the plight of the learners.
The paper is an attempt to locate and discuss the challenges which arise in the compulsorySecond ... more The paper is an attempt to locate and discuss the challenges which arise in the compulsorySecond Language English classrooms at the undergraduate degree level in the colleges affiliated to Calcutta University.The paper discusses the challenges both from the perspective of the teachers and the students.Besides discussing the challenges, the paper provides practical solutions which can be implemented by the teachers to ameliorate the teaching-learning process within the given setting and resources.
Books by Dishari Chattaraj
Developing from the thesis that understanding is the key to any and all meaningful conversation/s... more Developing from the thesis that understanding is the key to any and all meaningful conversation/s, this study focuses on the facilitation of listening skills among foreign language learners. It is conducted with the objective to find out the most effective ways in which an instructor can enable the development of listening skills among the learners of a foreign language. This paper reports the findings of an empirical study which followed a cross-sectional research design and employed a survey method to elicit the data. Twenty-seven Foreign Language Instructors/ Associate Instructors teaching around thirteen different foreign languages across sixteen different universities in the United States of America participated and reported to a survey on effective pre-listening, listening, and post-listening tasks, activities, and strategies which they found to be the most powerful in their respective classrooms. Thirteen of the Seventeen strategies and or/ tasks which were provided in the Strategies for Facilitating Listening (SFL) questionnaire were rated to be highly effective in the facilitation of the development of listening skills among the learners. The paper after discussing the efficacies of the strategies and tasks at hand ends by analyzing the pedagogical implications of the findings.
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Papers by Dishari Chattaraj
Books by Dishari Chattaraj