Summary of Results - Surveys Regarding Defining Educational Innovation, the Importance of Innovation, and Research on Teacher’s Attitude

Summary of Results
By Jorge Paniagua Vargas
Creativity and innovation are important keys to success in today's rapidly changing world. Thus, creative or innovative thinking is the kind of thinking that leads to new insights, novel approaches, fresh perspectives, and whole new ways of understanding and conceiving of things. Consequently, based on the surveys applied to English teachers, in a night high school located in Tres Ríos, San José, 95% of them have been in courses of innovations focused on teaching English in the foreign classroom. Therefore, according to the surveys, many of them have found some deficiencies in the Costa Rica’s English syllabus. As a matter of fact, these teachers argued that time and students population are two of the biggest enemies they deal with during their daily chores. However, they are aware of the implementation of innovational techniques in the classroom, but these two factors mentioned above, do not help them to improve the teaching-learning process. As a result, 90% of the teachers said that Costa Rica English syllabus is not appropriately designed in order to acquire mechanisms of innovations in the foreign classroom.
It was contradictory because other English teachers said that Costa Rica’s English syllabus, as a main instrument to achieve academic goals in the teaching-learning process, is a very useful tool. Doubtless, English teachers deem that innovations have currently become a necessity for all and sundry involved in education. Nevertheless, these teachers consider that they are not well-prepared in how to implement or perform innovations in the foreign classroom. However, teachers said that they have tried to be innovative in their classes in order to transform their classes into attractive and effective ones. Accordingly, teachers have been teaching English with songs, games, flashcards, jeopardizes, videos, movies, and textbooks authentically emphasized in the students needs. On the other hand, the teachers believe that it is very preeminent to motivate students; because they are the ones who are going to learn the target language; hence, motivated students work much better during the class development. Furthermore, teachers’ personalities have influenced students to learn and to be confident with their teachers during the teaching-learning process. Thus, teachers must be creative and friendly with their students in order to obtain better results. On the other hand, educators who are very serious and unpleasant in the classroom, have become unattractive for students because they do not feel confident with their teachers, so students are afraid of expressing their doubts and what they do not understand from the target language. In other words, teachers’ challenge is through innovations; they must create the appropriate environment according to students’ needs. In the following manner, teachers’ creativity and responsibility will help students in their teaching-learning process, since they are going to be updating the best material in relation to the topic the teachers are going to develop in the class.
Finally, 30% of teachers knew about the following paramount tool; British Council. This is a relevant instrument in which they can access and take some didactic plans, ideas, and materials. Besides, teachers, who did not know about the British Council, asked the following questions: how useful is that tool in order to help them in the teaching-learning process? Fortunately, I explained to them the preeminence of the British Council, because I have learned a lot of vocabulary and strategies to teach English in the foreign classroom.