Integration of Lean method in English Language Teaching and Learning: A New Perspective

Abstract

Lean is regarded as a systematic approach to maximizing value by minimizing waste, and by flowing the product or service at the pull of the customer demand. These key concepts of “value,” “flow,” and “pull,” align with the ultimate lean goal: “perfection,” or a continuous striving for improvement in the performance of the organization. Through applying a lean methodology to the teaching processes, additionally the teachers can eliminate reasons that do not add value and are thus wasteful, and they can focus their efforts on the advancement of teaching and learning. By applying the lean principles and techniques developed in the industry, educators can refine the content, pedagogy, organization, and assessment methods employed in their accounting courses to help and ensure that students gain the knowledge and skills that will make them most desirable to students. Lean can be taught throughout several methods and tools, such as readings and class discussion, game- and simulation-based methods, and the open forum method. The readings and discussion method present students with the opportunity, and even the obligation, to express their Point of view on certain issues, requiring the students to think critically on the subject and use logic to evaluate others' positions through open and active participation. When applying lean production to learning, we should first identify the process and then maintain focus on what adds value (i.e., student improvements), empower students to do CI (continuous improvement), eliminate what does not add value through Kaizen (brainstorm alternatives and identify a hypothesis to test), conduct PDCA (develop an experimental plan, carry out the plan or do it and then check for results and adjust accordingly), and make a team work to support and share with each other. To apply lean thinking and to create a lean culture classroom, the classroom should first be organized; thereafter, visual sheets should be managed, pre-planning must be done, take-time should be established, and work should be standardized by creating syllabi and schedules and associated materials. Other classroom tools must be available as well, such as Pareto charts, root cause, and weekly quality assessments. To fulfill this objective, a research question has been approved as a data collection instrument in this descriptive study, a 35 item questionnaire was administered to English preparatory school student at Duhok city and an interview was conducted with twelves students with different levels in Sabis International School. In addition, the descriptive statistics indicated that the male learners employed language learning strategies more frequently (average=3.3) than the female learners (average=3.2) One can conclude that male students use lean learning strategies more than female student do. The value of (F) is 2.479, which reflects the dependency to be at significant levels (>0.01 at the level of 1%). Rendering to this model, duration of taking English (b = 1.534, p= .116 p > .01) is statistically not significant predictor of learning lean method. Value of T which is (27.87> .01) and the Value of P (.000) reveals the descriptive factor of gender effect on learning lean method as statistically significant. Besides, all the values in the regression model come out to support the view that gender is effective in the use of learning the lean method. The result also indicates that the duration of taking English does not significantly effect on learning and using lean learning strategies as it reveals in ANOVA analysis. In conclude, the result showed that when student get older and takes more English course, the more learning lean methods they apply in learning language.