Learning English in Terms of Globalization - Essay Example

Effective Strategies for English Language Learners Introduction Undeniably, the English language is the sole global language in this day and age. As proof of this, the global corporate giants that dominate today’s market all require at least a basic level of English proficiency among their employees, regardless of whether the corporation in question originated in an English speaking country. If anything, it should be noted that even in companies operating within a smaller region or territory, English language proficiency is still something possessed by the employees, and especially the executives, in varying levels. The globalization that has been taking place in recent years has strongly necessitated at least a basic command of the English language in order to succeed, to the point that even infamously xenophobic countries such as Japan and China have been forced to require their students to take up at least the English language in school, if not other foreign languages (Kubota, 1998; Kirkpatrick and Zhichang, 2002). As such, the advantage in this scenario goes to employees or applicants from countries such as the United States or the United Kingdom, who have been utilizing the English language as their primary language since childhood. However, for one originating from a country such as Iran, in which English is generally not used as the lingua franca, this has some implications. For one thing, these English language learners need are prone to experiencing more difficulty in learning the language that is inversely proportional with its relationship with the student’s mother tongue. For instance, whereas German students should find it easy or at the very least manageable to learn to speak English due to its close relationship with the German tongue, their Chinese peers may have more trouble due to their own language being completely different in comparison (McKay and Schaetzel, 2008). Aside from this, the intricacies of their culture may necessitate favoring one approach to teaching them, as can again be seen in how Chinese students were found to derive more benefit from teacher-led lectures as compared to more unorthodox methods of instruction, such as classroom discussion and learning activities (Jin and Cortazzi, 1998). Needless to say, would-be teachers of English to speakers of other languages need to be especially sensitive to the learning styles and preferences of their students. This being the case, this student has come up with a lesson plan, in line with the standards espoused by TESOL.org, which shall be used in an attempt to teach the English language to speakers of other languages. Besides this, the findings of authoritative studies on the subject were also taken into account in order to come up with a more appropriate, comprehensive and effective lesson plan. The Integration of Content and Language The lesson plan adopted a Content-Language integrated approach, which entails unique structuring of one’s day-to-day lessons. For instance, this requires a working knowledge on the teacher’s part of the 6 characteristics that support learning, as well as of the objectives behind such an approach and the nature of language and content input. The teacher also needs to be able to activate the stock knowledge of his students, in part so he can teach them new words in such a way that they will be retained. Guided practice also needs to be conducted, as do appropriate independent practice activities. Last but not least, the learning achieved by students needs to be assessed, both by the teacher as well as the students themselves. Of course, to better understand what the integration of the Content- and Language-based approach entails, one would be wise to first understand the aims and objectives of the individual approaches. For starters, the content-based approach to second language instruction is intended to provided second language learners with instruction in both content in language, specifically by way of methods such as grammar-translation, audio-lingual methodology and vocabulary (Brinton, Snow and Wesche, 1989). In this day and age, though, the approach as a whole makes use of subject matter in the instructor’s goal of teaching his students how to speak a second language. Theoretically, students are to be stimulated and motivated in class through the clever usage of challenging and informative activities on the part of the teacher, whose main motive for making use of such an approach is to equip them with the necessary complex skills (Grabe and Stoller, 1997). On the other hand, language-based instruction, otherwise known as language immersion, aims to educate students by making use of the target language itself as the medium of instruction, and was first used in the 1960s among Canadians to educate them in the use of the French in addition to the English language (Baker, 1993). True to its name, the general idea behind this approach is that students are immersed in the target language due to the its usage as an actual teaching tool, as opposed to the content-based approach which treats the second language as mere subject matter. Naturally, the integration of these approaches means that aspects from both are used. The medium of instruction for the language class is the second language itself, and its finer aspects and nuances are taken up as subject manner within the class. Thus, students, learn at an exponentially faster rate as compared to the rate allowable by either one of the individual approaches to learning. Further reinforcing this is that not only is there a class dedicated to the instruction of the English language, but that the English language itself is used as the medium of instruction for other subjects such as science, mathematics and the humanities. And in this way, students get to improve not only on their proficiency in English as a second language, but also in their other academic subjects (Coltrane, 2011). Applied to the TESOL standards as noted on the official website (2011), this means that students become more able to communicate in English in social, intercultural and instructional contexts. Since English is used as the medium of instruction in all their academic classes, they develop greater proficiency in the English language not only while studying language and communication arts, but at the same time while taking up other subjects such as math, science and social studies. Early on, teachers need to take extra care to go at a pace their students can keep up with, and use a level of English they can easily understand. While this can be relaxed in the case of teachers schooled in second language techniques, even then they need to lower themselves to a level their students will find easier to relate to (Minicucci, 1996). Unfortunately, though, this becomes less and less common as students are promoted to higher year levels, with teachers in secondary school known for being either unmindful or uncaring of how comprehensible their lessons are to ELLs (Harklau, 1994). Contrary to the more caring and understanding teachers in middle school, those based in secondary school tend to go through their lessons at a constant pace and, while still generally being accommodating enough to slow down or repeat key points as needed, are less mindful of whether or not their lessons make sense to ELLs, who are thus less likely to absorb these lessons. Such an outcome would, of course, be undeniably counterproductive. Conclusion Obviously enough, teaching English to students speaking other languages is very different from teaching it to students who grow up with the language at home, and thus merits a different approach. For one thing, rather than just mindlessly trudging on and going through the lessons, the teachers of such a class need to be understanding enough to make the subject matter comprehensible to their students, simplifying key points as the need arises. Teachers who neglect this crucial point should not be surprised, nor should they complain, if they find that their students have failed to learn as much as they should have. This being the case, the lesson plan incorporates variable approaches depending on the English proficiency of the ELLs concerned. While this may necessitate the use of heavily simplified and/or dumbed down English at times, such troublesome considerations are arguably necessary if the teacher is to properly discharge his duty. Otherwise, rather than allow his students to understand the lesson, all he will manage to do is confuse and confound them even more. References Baker, C. (1993). Foundations of bilingual education and bilingualism. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. Brinton, D. M., Snow, M. A., & Wesche, M. B. (1989). Content-based second language instruction. New York: Newbury House. Coltrane, B. (2011). Teaching language through content. Center for Applied Linguistics. Retrieved 09/25/11 from http://www.cal.org/resources/archive/rgos/content.html Grabe, W., & Stoller, F. L. (1997). Content-based instruction: Research foundations. In M. A. Snow, & D. M. Brinton (Eds.), The content-based classroom: Perspectives on integrating language and content (pp. 5–21). New York: Longman. Harklau, L. (1994). ESL versus mainstream classes: Contrasting L2 learning environments. TESOL Quarterly, 28, 241–272. Jin, L., & Cortazzi, M. (1998). The culture the learner brings: A bridge or a barrier? In M. Byram & M. Fleming (Eds.), Language learning in intercultural perspective: Approaches through drama and ethnography. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. Kirkpatrick, A. & Zhichang, X. (2002).Chinese pragmatic norms and “China English. World Englishes, 21, pp. 269–279. Kubota, K. (1998). Ideologies of English in Japan. World Englishes, 17(3), 295–306. McKay, S. and Schaetzel, K. (2008) Facilitating adult learner interactions to build listening and speaking skills. CAELA Network Briefs. CAELA and Center for Applied Linguistics. Minicucci, C. (1996). Learning science and english: how school reform advocates scientific learning for limited english proficient middle school students. Educational Practice Report 17. Santa Cruz, CA, and Washington DC: National Center for Research on Cultural Diversity and Second Language Learning. PreK-12 English Language Proficiency Standards Framework (2011) TESOL.org. Retrieved September 20, 2011 from http://www.tesol.org/s_tesol/sec_document.asp?CID=281&DID=13323 Read More