Learning and Teaching English: My Past Experiences and Projects - Report Example

LEARNING AND TEACHING ENGLISH: MY PAST EXPERIENCES AND PROJECTS. NAME INSTITUTION Introduction Teaching methods vary depending on several factors ranging from nationality, academic level of the learners, teacher’s experience and training as well as the learning environment. Teachers develop a variety of techniques to ensure that they drive their point home during lessons. Some methods are more interactive since they encourage students participation while others are teacher’s based. This is basically influenced by class size and composition. More effective methods are important when teaching English as a second language. Techniques can be defined as the specific activities that are consistent with a method (Brown 2008). This paper seeks to compare and contrast the various approaches to English language teaching I have met in Australia with those encountered in my country of origin (Saudi Arabia). Our main focus will be describing in some details each experience, and evaluate the pros and cons of each approach and summarize similarities and differences between these approaches. This will take in to account both learner’s and teacher’s characteristics as well as other factors that influence learning such as time constraints, syllabus, resources and technological advancement. This critical analysis will help us determine the implications of these experiences for our future language teaching and language-teacher-education role in Saudi Arabia. We will have to consider five new ideas that I’ve met outside my country. A) Learners’ characteristics Being born in Saudi Arabia, English is my second language which I started learning in the intermediate schools. We hated English and had a great difficulty learning it. This was worsened by the fact that teachers were very serious and they were not native English speakers. The Learning style that a student adopts has a great influence on his/her performance. Some students learning ESL depend entirely on their teacher without making extra efforts to learn on their own. They understand better by observing the teacher’s expression either verbal or written. Others basically prefer pictures, illustrations and other teaching aids. This category can do without the teacher’s presence. They are okay with books, videos other written resources. There are those who learn by listening and they have a sharp hearing sense. They will be comfortable learning by use of recorded voices. The revision style used by students also contributes towards the learning process. The question- answer revision method has proven very helpful especially to the so called slow learners. Some students prefer learning from their peers and they do this by participating in discussion groups. This not only improves their critical thinking but also their pronunciation. They are able to correct each other’s mistakes and help them improve their spoken English. Good revision habits have a positive impact and most students develop it as they progress in their studies. B) The teacher’s personality When it comes to personality, the crucial question is how the teacher is him /herself to his/her students. Some teachers are very serious and strict. Their main focus is to finish the syllabus. They end up making the class non interactive and the students only remain passive and bored. Such teachers have time no for teaching aids and techniques such as discussions. This ends up being not an effective teaching method. Other teachers are hot tempered and are fond of punishing students even for the simple mistakes that they make. This has the consequence of causing the students to hate them, and eventually hating the subject that they teach. Devising better ways of dealing with errant students improves the teacher- student relationship thus making the learning environment very conducive Al-Omrani (2008, p. 64). C) Emotional Factors Motivation and anxiety are the most significant impediments to second language acquisition as explained by Al-Omrani (2008, p. 64) and thus as a teacher, it is crucial that the students are constantly kept motivated and this increases their confidence which in turn reduces any anxiety they may experience. For this, positive reinforcement is an effective method that a teacher can use as opposed to negative reinforcement which, unfortunately, a lot of teachers opt to use. This has been my experience in Saudi Arabia where instead of receiving praise for the good I did, I almost always received criticism for the mistakes I made and this discouraged me from participating in class and eventually, having an interest in ESL. D) The teacher’s philosophy of learning and teaching programs As a teacher, I live by one philosophy: that I can never say that I have taught unless I have driven home a point into the mind of the student. To do this requires the appropriate skills and techniques. There are several other ingredients that constitute being a good teacher. A good teacher has expert knowledge in their field, well devised mechanisms to deliver that knowledge, are able to involve the students in the learning process and make the class to be interactive and lively (Brain 1998). Vast knowledge of your subject is very vital. Proper preparation of your programs and lessons is also very important and is an ingredient lacking in Saudi Arabia where experts have accused English teachers of preparing programs which are woefully inadequate and non-systematic (Al- Hazmi, 2003). It is important to note that downloading of already prepared lesson plans without any review may have a disastrous outcome. Teachers should be in position to consider the objective of each topic and come up with the most effective methodology to achieve it. They also need to evaluate their lessons by asking questions to determine whether the objective was met (Al- Hazmi, 2003). Teachers in Australia are good at coming up with new teaching methodologies. Such techniques include brain storming games where students are required to make a cluster of relevant words from a main word. In other occasions students are given a topic to discuss and compile a report to be presented in class by one of the group members. This has the merit of building the student’s confidence and improves their critical thinking. E) Negative Attitudes Towards the West This is a factor beyond the teacher but it is a major factor which an English teacher hoping to make headway in Saudi Arabia cannot overlook. According to (Al Haq and Smadi, 2007) there is a prevailing attitude that speaking English shows Westernization and detachment from one’s own culture and Islam. An English teacher in Saudi Arabia should thus work around this attitude, and this can be done by using examples which portray the positive attributes of Western culture such as generosity and avoid anything that can be deemed to be negative such as portrayals of parties, pork eating, smoking, sexual immorality, and the like. F) Other factors in the teaching context In Saudi Arabia, learning and teaching English is faced by a number of challenges. Teachers are not native speakers for English and as such, they should tailor their methods to suit their abilities as well as the context within which they teach as opposed to using the methods used in the West (Holliday, p. 115). In addition, the curriculum used in intermediate schools is very difficult and do not have a helpful pictures, diagram, illustrations and other teaching aids. Teachers stick to the text books and improvise or are very strict in covering the syllabus thus causing time constraint to be a major setback in learning English. This is due to the limited time allocated for English lessons in the Saudi curriculum. Given that in my country of origin English is a compulsory foreign language in most of the institutions of learning particularly due to its high significance in the Saudi Universities, the demand has been left unmet. Classrooms are overcrowded and teachers are not adequate. This makes organizing activities such as debate and discussion groups difficult (Macphail 2000). Lack of other means of learning other than classes also poses a great challenge. As such, the use of mass media such as radios, Print media and e-learning could be of great use. Unfortunately, these have not found place in the Saudi curriculum. Teachers entirely depending on unit notes limit the student’s scope of attaining the necessary knowledge. In Australia, lecturers have better teaching methods which have improved learning a great deal. They give unit notes on CDs, hard copies as well as on flash disks. During their lessons they use projectors and organize their notes in power point with good illustrations and diagrams. They also give neat references of the notes which assist students to refer to them for further reading. Consequently, students find the method very efficient given that they are not limited to a single access of information. The implications for the future and evaluating five of the new ideas I have met outside my own country and their potential role in language teaching In order to achieve effective English learning/ teaching techniques in Saudi Arabia, skilful and experienced teachers are required. Teachers need to come up with proper and well calculated strategies in order to attain this. Continuous assessment is of great importance so as to evaluate the effectiveness of the method they decide to choose. Employing methods that involve student’s participation during the lessons help get feedback from them. Encouraging students to develop good revision habits will greatly improve their performance. Question-answer method helps them gauge themselves and help them develop research skills. It also makes them get used to a variety of resources. The learning environment also has an implication on the outcome. It must be very conducive. Teachers need to create a positive attitude in the minds of the student and try to win their trust. Keeping the class lively and making students freely ask questions will greatly help in that regard. You have to be in a position to identify the students’ willingness to learn so as to determine the most appropriate method to use. According to Stevick (1989, p. 2) we have to make students’ brains receptive. Proper understanding of the nature of the students we are dealing with is paramount. Some are beginners while other are already introduced to the system. Some are learning English as their second language while others have it as their native language. Some might be young while others are learning the language in their late ages. The way we handle all those categories of students influence our selection of the methodology to use. This will vary from the way we explain concepts, the number of lessons required per unit as well as the materials and methods to be used. For instance pupils in the intermediate schools will need more diagrams and illustrations than those in high schools. Likewise, you might be forced to use Arabic to explain some vocabularies when teaching children who are being introduced to the English language unlike when lecturing to University students. There are new ideas that are being used in Australia that when used in Saudi Arabia will have great impact in improving learning. 1) Multimedia The major problem in Saudi Arabia is that teachers mostly depend on the use of chalk boards. This method is so time consuming and tiresome. It also has adverse health implications. Given the huge number of students in classes, the method is very inefficient since some students have to strain so as to see the board. On the other hand, in Australia I have experienced better methods of presenting the notes. Such multimedia methods include the use of TV, video, projectors or interactive white boards. Some lecturers also use CDs and flash disks rather than hard copies making students to have a great variety to choose from. Use of animations and graphics present good illustrations and diagrams which enhance the students’ understanding. It also saves on time since there is no need for dictating the notes. That said, one must keep in mind that religious constraint’s exist in the highly Islamic Saudi Arabia and a foreign English teacher needs to keep this in mind, making sure that the presentations be it music, documentaries or whatever that case may be are appropriate and in line with Islamic tenets (McKay, p. 62). 2) Activities When teachers are very strict they cause the class environment to be tense, dull and non-interactive. It’s good sometimes to learn from the student’s point of view. Activities such as games, discussions and debates have proven a major contributing factor when it comes to efficient learning. Word puzzles and other word games for instance, have been used to as brain-stormers. They help students think independently to solve some challenging problems. Discussions will improve the students’ critical thinking and enable them to correct each other. They are able to analyse various topics and come up with a conclusion. Debating has a great impact in enhancing the fluency of the spoken English and help build the students’ confidence when expressing himself in English. Saudi teachers should therefore make use of such activities. 3) Technology With the use of internet the world has become a global village. People can now exchange ideas worldwide. Students can make use of e-learning and obtain vast knowledge. With internet they can discuss online and exchange their notes. They also read e-books and watch online videos as well as contributing to forums organised by university lecturers and various educational institutions. Lecturers can send assignments and notes via email. Teleconferencing can also contribute majorly in teaching English (Camenson, 2007, p. 78). 4) Textbooks Saudi curriculum has already adopted this idea. Teachers use text books during their lessons. However, it’s of great interest to reconsider the types of textbooks that we are using. This will take into consideration the topics and the nature of our students. A more illustrated textbook will be more appropriate for intermediate pupils. It is good to have textbooks that clearly explain various concepts, with a clear introduction at the beginning and some test questions at the end of each topic. Universities and schools need to equip their libraries with up to date textbooks which have been approved (Camenson, 2007, p. 33- 36). 5) Student oriented approach This approach entails the student doing most of the research work. It is one of the most appropriate approaches for university students. The work of the lecturer is to give an overview of the topic, giving the guidelines and the objectives of a given topic. He also gives the references. The student has to look for detailed information on the topic and compile some notes. Then, if the work was done in groups, one of the group members then presents it to the class. They also have to give out both soft and hard copies of their findings to the class members. Their lecturer will respond to any concern that arises and give further information if necessary. This method has the advantage of saving on time though it has a limitation in that it cannot be used by the beginners. The method if used in Saudi Arabia can greatly enhance students approach to learning English and act as a major tool in learning process. It also has the advantage of offloading the lecturers the burden of dictating notes making teaching a bit easier. Conclusion As outlined above each teaching/ learning approach has got is merits and demerits. The effectiveness of learning will depend on both the student’s character and the teacher’s personality. We have critically analysed the various approaches that can be put in place to enhance teaching/ learning English in Saudi Arabia. Application of some ideas that have already been adopted in Australia in teaching English in Saudi Arabia will facilitate the teaching in a major way and ensure that future generations have the benefit of a thorough and efficient English- learning experience for their better engagement with the increasingly globalised world. References Al Haq, Fawwaz Al-Abed and Smadi, Oqlah. (2007). ‘Spread of English and Westernization in Saudi Arabia.’ World Englishes Vole 15 (3): 307–317, November 1996 Al- Hazmi, Sultan. (2003). EFL Teacher Preparation Programs in Saudi Arabia: Trends and Challenges. TESOL Quarterly, Vol 37 (2) Al-Omrani, Adel Hassan. (2008). Perceptions and attitudes of Saudi ESL and EFL students Toward native and non-native English- speaking Teachers. ProQuest LLC: Ann Harbor, MI. Brain, M. (1998). 'Emphasis on Teaching.' Retrieved September 22nd, 2011 from http://www.bygpub.com/eot/eot1.htm Brown, D. (2008). Teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall Regents Camenson, Blythe. (2007). Opportunities in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Mc Graw- Hill Companies Inc. Holliday, Adrian. (2005). The Struggle to Teach English as an International Language. New York: Oxford University Press Macphail, A. (2000). ‘The benefit of understanding reading texts.' In Teachers' Voices 5: A new Look at reading practice, Macquarie University, Sydney, pp.42-51 Stevick, E. (1989). 'An intuitive learner'. In Success with foreign languages: seven who achieved It and what worked for them. New York: Prentice Hall, New York, pp. 1-20. Read More