Learning through reflection is one of the most interesting experiences that students might have. It is considered a very good tool for self-assessing learning. It is believed that “teachers who promote reflective classrooms ensure that students are fully engaged in the process of making meaning”. Dewey was among the first researchers who based his work and research on the positive roles that reflection plays in fostering self-reflection and critical thinking. He has defined it as an active, persistent and careful consideration (...) of any belief. Reflections give students opportunities to think and reflect about their learning and note down the obstacles they might face during this process. The present study aims to investigate the impact of journal writing in promoting critical-thinking skills, and its impact on enhancing learning. The study uses two instruments, a student refection journal and an interview. Also, Marzano’s New Taxonomy of Educational Objectives developed in 2000 was used in the third phase of the study. This Taxonomy contains Three Systems: the Self-system, the Metacognitive system and the Cognitive system. The overall study results show that reflection journals help students to become more independent learners, reflect on their learning experiences and identify the most useful learning strategies. Most importantly, all study participants hold positive attitudes towards reflection and they consider it as a valuable tool which can increase learning. (shrink)

Online learning is becoming a commonplace in different settings starting from elementary, secondary and higher levels of education. Different educational institutions use different communication tools to promote learning because the expansive nature of the Internet and the accessibility of technology have generated a surge in the demand for web-based teaching and learning across the nations (Chaney, 2010). The online teaching and learning have become a necessity for education around the globe during COVID 19-pandemic. There are several challenges which are faced (...) during online classes because the students must have strong self-motivation skills and be very disciplined to achieve the desired learning results. This paper presents and analyzes the data on the benefits and challenges of online teaching at South East European University (SEEU) during COVID 19 pandemic. The participants of the study are students of the BA level majoring in English Language and Literature and German Language and Literature at SEEU in Tetovo, North Macedonia. To answer the research questions, we have used a student questionnaire, interviews, and student reflection papers written during the online courses. Overall, the research indicates that benefits of online coursework outweigh the challenges that students face during the online classes. From a safety perspective, this study emphasizes the need to consider the impact of online teaching on student motivation and the paper raises important questions about how to best support students enrolled in online courses. Further research is needed in order to better evaluate the benefits, challenges, and useful strategies of successful students enrolled in online courses. (shrink)

The Covid-19 virus appeared very fast around the globe and caused many damages to all of us. It caused many troubles in different fields such as: economics, business, factories, education etc. Many institutions around the world faced challenges and tried to find solutions. But the most difficult challenge was about online teaching; most of the countries suggested many strategies and methods to teach students and learners through distinctive materials and online platforms. It was suggested to use online programs as Google (...) Classroom, Google Meet, Skype, Zoom and many other technological tools in order to help learners to continue with their studies. Using online platform in our country was very demanding because of many factors that influenced all of us. Although many teachers from different schools used many devices during the pandemic, ZOOM was the main one. Teachers had different experiences and challenges during their teaching process through online platforms. They had many problems especially in the assessment and evaluation part; it was very difficult to evaluate learners through technology instruments and grading them correctly. This study is about teachers’ experience with the ZOOM platform, to discover if teachers had difficulties with online teaching during the pandemic. This case study's outcomes present valuable information to the teachers and future researches because there is a limited number of studies in this field. (shrink)

The purpose of this study was to explore teachers’ beliefs about multilingualism at universities in North Macedonia. Multilingualism as a concept is related to an individual’s ability to speak three or more languages. Given the educational and cultural globalization, multilingualism is crucial in many countries in the world. North Macedonia is an excellent example of multilingualism where different cultures live together and learn the languages of each other. At Universities across the country, teachers face different challenges while teaching multilingual classes. (...) Linguistic competence in many local languages allows students to learn foreign languages easily and thus raises students’ global awareness and deepens knowledge about their future teaching career. The study analysed data collected from thirty EFL teachers from four different universities, Southeast European University, University of Tetova, Mother Teresa University and International Balkan University in North Macedonia. The research instrument used was the teacher survey which contained five domains: Teachers’ perspective on multilingualism; Students’ language learning knowledge; Language teacher collaboration; Learning materials, and other topics related to L2 learning and teaching. The study results revealed that teachers view multilingualism as a positive asset for the students, and they expressed that they have developed an approach which helps multilinguals to achieve their learning goals. One area which needs improvement is teacher collaboration, as they tend to collaborate regarding materials and textbooks, however, not willing to share their experience on teaching methods/strategies and challenges faced. (shrink)