Different Contexts Different Results

In our daily practices in classrooms, we may achieve different results depending on contexts. I experienced this phenomenon when teaching a reading comprehension lesson in a class in a small department (Computer Science) and a class in a big class in another department (engineering department). The lesson was dealing with the advantages and the drawbacks of the use of the Internet. The topic was interesting to the computer science but boring to the engineering department. 

            Also the same lesson effect is different in a village or in a town. In a village where many people have never seen a computer; few people have smart mobile phones, and many families have no access to internet . The lesson would not  be successful,  because students would have difficulties dealing with activities as students would not personalize.  The lesson would be successful in town even if students are from different horizons and many of them have access to the Internet as students would personalize.

            I think that the causes of the differences  outcome in my first example were mainly due to the environment. In fact, in the first case, their background concerning technology was not so important. They did not know much about the Internet as their immediate environment did not display much about that, whereas in the second situation my students were a bit familiar with ICTs and felt comfortable with the topic. The idea of personlization is relevant in language teaching, so I try whenever I teach any topic to make students relate to their lives. If I teach a lesson about the movie " Mission Impossible" we speak about Egyptian thrillers. If I teach about family gathering in US, we speak about Egyptian family gatherings. This makes students happy any feel empowered that they can use the language to speak about their own lives.