Native-Speaker and Non-Native-Speaker of English as Teacher of English - Report Example

NATIVE-SPEAKER AND NON-NATIVE-SPEAKER OF ENGLISH AS TEACHER OF ENGLISH TO SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES NAME : NUMBER : LECTURER : DATE : Introduction English has become one of the fastest growing languages being taught and spoken around the world. Its spread started in the 19th century. Alastair (1998) notes that, this time was a time for the British to marvel at their own greatness due to the global spread of their language. Guest, 1838/1882) (as quoted by Alastair) noted that English was becoming among the greatest tools of civilization. It’s noted that it was being used in Africa, islands of Pacific, hindoo, among other countries and continents. Jacob Grimm is quoted by trench (1881) stating that English language had grown to be used globally, and may as well be called a world language. Claiborne (1983) notes that, English is spoken by more than 300 million people as their native language, the second largest language in the world after the mandarin Chinese. Currently, the rise of families, students, business people among others immigrating to foreign countries requires that they learn English for effective communication. It is argued that both native speakers of English and non-native speakers of English have much to offer as teachers of English to speakers of other languages. In this regard, this assignment will explore several contexts of ESL/EFL in which teachers of native speakers of English and no-native speakers of English. This will include the consideration of the kind of knowledge, skills and attitude which are necessary for an English teacher to take on board when teaching English in specific contexts. ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE/ FOREIGN LANGUAGE Currently, most institutions in countries that English speaking countries teach the language as a foreign language or second language to its students. TEACHING ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE (ESL) Teaching English as a Second Language usually means teaching English in a country where English is already the main or official language. Usually, countries such as The United States, Canada, The United Kingdom and Australia are an example of locations to teach ESL. This is usually experienced when people migrate into another county where their native language is not spoken, or is not used for education. These people may enter into these countries for business missions, seminars, or migrate, and are faced with the challenge of learning English for their daily communication with other people in the country. Usually, such people may enter the country with advanced or with only the Basic English. They may want their children to join the local schools and are required to learn the language to attain the level appropriate to their age or country’s standards. A teacher who lives and teach English in an already English speaking country can be referred to as teaching English as a second language (www.teaching-esl-to-adults.com) TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGH LANGUAGE(EFL) English as a Foreign Language (EFL) refers to teaching English in countries where English is not the major language, or the official language. Examples of such countries include countries like Thailand, China, Korea, among others. In this case, students study English in their own native countries as part of their school curriculum or as a requirement for immigration or travelling abroad. In this case, these students have learnt English for several years at school, have gathered good grammar and vocabulary of the language, but may just require special skills in listening and speaking the language. Such a case may arise when the students require to travel abroad or is employed to work in places that necessitate interaction with people from native English speaking countries. The teachers in this case that teach English to student who speak other foreign languages in a non-English speaking country is said to be teaching English as a foreign language. (www.teaching-esl-to-adults.com) Learners of English as a foreign language are generally taught ‘world English’ (Kachru, 1988). In this case, it’s argued that there is no single “right” English, and certainly no “native speaker’s norm”. EFL learners usually have a practical need for learning the language, and usually are for a test that gives them international certification for their English proficiency. Such tests may include TOEFL, TOEIC and IELTS. When two languages are learnt by a student, the languages tend to merge together. They may affect ne another in a variety of ways such as borrowing, language transfers, code switching, etc. Such phenomena has been observed in cases such as ‘chinglish’ which is a hybrid of English and Chinese, Franglais (French and English) etc. Non-native speakers of English face a variety of challenges such as observed in students like, i. A Thai student may say”tomorrow he go see movie” instead of” tomorrow he is going to see a movie”. This is because, Thai language has no articles. ii. The use of “layta” and “atamanna” (wish) in Arabic is almost equivalent to “wish” in English. Its notes again that in Arabic, the two words can be used interchangeably without much difference in meaning. Teachers of a second language should take care of the transfer of words between languages, especially when teaching certain features of a second language (Oldin, 1997). Oldin observes that as an example, an English teacher aware of Spanish based and Korean based errors would be able to pinpoint problems faced by Spanish speaking and Korean speaking ESL students much better ESL / EFL TEACHERS The educational field has seen a growth in the number of English teachers globally. Some of these teachers in non native English speaking countries are not native speakers of the language themselves. (Maum R, 2002) Maum R (2002) notes that, English teachers may teach the language easily, in native English speaking countries, without much requirement on reading and learning it. Whereas this may hold true for these countries, in countries that English is not the native language, most English Language Teachers learned English later on in life, either as a second language (ESL), through more informal ways such as touring English speaking countries, living with English speaking people, among other ways of acquiring the language. Foe some, this language comes as the third or fourth language, whereby to others it may be the only foreign language that they have leant other than their mother tongue. QUALITIES OF GREAT ESL/EFL TEACHERS A) PASSION. Good teachers in any field should be passionate about what they teach to their students. The passion and quest for their subject drives the teacher into becoming an expert in their fields of specialization. Great English teachers are passionate about learning the language more, its vocabularies and connotations. (Campbell, R. & Green, D. ,2006) They are passionate about books, literature, theatres among others. This passion gives them a rich background that makes their students wants to listen and ask questions. B) READING. These teachers have good reading habits that build a strong language and vocabulary. Great English teachers read widely, from books to magazines, newspapers to novels. This moulds their students into emulating them and developing a reading culture that promotes the language C) HARD WORK. These teachers work hard in order to achieve their desired objectives. D) FLEXIBLE. It’s noted that nobody in the world knows everything. Good teachers are flexible and adapt to changes in the classroom. If faced with a question that they cannot answer at the moment, the teacher may admit to it, and buy time to research more on the issue. E) OPEN MINDEDNESS. These teachers a re open to others opinions, views and beliefs. In areas such as literature, people may have different opinions on subjects. These teachers should be ready to listen to others views, critics and evaluate them to come to common conclusions. F) DIVERSE LEARNING METHODS. These teachers can employ a variety f methodology in teaching English, be it language or literature. Such approach that may be interesting to the stutters includes the use of dramatization, role play, singing, among others. This makes their classes lively, and promotes the students understanding of the language’s rich culture G) INDIVIDUALISTIC APPROACH. In a mixed class environments where students come from diverse cultural background and different native languages, it may be important for the teacher to know the students at an individual level. This shall help is assisting the student learning, identifying the students needs and limitations, and meeting them. The teacher should also reprimand the students when they go wrong and celebrate their success. This shall make the students fell as part of the team H) STRUCTURE OF LEARNING. These teachers should employ a varied structural approach to teaching and learning. They have a disciplined structure of learning. Although lessons may be hugely creative and unpredictable for interest, they also maintain a disciplined time schedule of activities. I) APPROACHES TO LEARNING. Moody (1983) explains that an approach is important in order to provide a framework or a sequence of operations that shall be used in the actual delivery. He notes that the approach that a teacher employs in teaching English, e.g. literature, goes a long way in affecting the student’s interest. A teacher may choose an approach that employs the use of activities that is designed to increase the student’s motivation ensuring the participation of the student in the learning activity and promoting learning. ATTITUDES THAT ESL/EFL TEACHERS SHOULD ADOPT. English teachers who teach the language as a foreign language or as a second language should employ the following attitudes in teaching. i. Non-judgmental. At times, learning a second language becomes a challenging task to foreign students. These students may make mistakes repeatedly even when it doesn’t deserve. The teacher should use positive correction mechanisms to correct the student, taking care not to use critics and other approaches that may trigger negative attitude towards the teacher and finally the language. ii. Non-biasness. The teacher should not be biased towards students. In a multi-cultural class, the teachers should not judge a student basing on the students background, ethnicity or any other discriminatory approach. The teacher should maintain a neutral or positive outlook towards a student irrespective of their backgrounds. iii. Creativeness. English teachers should be creative in what they do. Teachers of literature have a wide field of activities to choose from to spruce up classroom learning. These approaches include role play, dramatization, recitations, dance, etc. the implementation of such approaches not only makes the learning interesting, but also the use of multi-sensory stimuli increases the rate of content retention by the student. REQUIREMENTS FOR EFFECTIVE ESL / EFL TEACHERS a) Diverse Background knowledge of their students. In scenarios such as teaching foreign students in a class, the teacher should try and know their students in terms of their background, culture, native language among others and how this may affect the language development of the student. for example, the students native language accent may interfere with the pronunciation of English words. b) Students access to Language development materials. The teacher should asses if the student has access to learning materials that can help in developing the students English language such as i. Reading materials. These may include English text books, novels, magazines, literature books among others that cam assist in reading skills ii. Writing materials, such as books that help in vocabulary development, spelling of words tec. Such books may include encyclopedias, dictionaries of words, among others iii. Listening and speaking help such as audio books and CDs that teach pronunciation of words, among others. c) Communication skills. English teachers should have good command in the language to teach students the same. They should have a diverse vocabulary and expressions in the language, and should be fluent in it. They should show good pronunciation of words, free of accents derived from other languages. These teachers should be able to teach students to pronounce words properly, and assist ESL learners to overcome the effects of their natural native language accents on English. (Nuan D., Ronald C., 2001) d) Student’s relational skills. Good student-teacher relations promotes leaning. The teacher should have knowledge and skills in handling students such as in a class with students from diverse backgrounds, religion and political affiliations. This shall ensure that learning takes place smoothly. Foreign students often face a lot of challenges in adapting to their new environments. e) Reading skills. Generally, the ability to speak a language fluently such as the native English speaking people can teach the language to others. ESL and EFL students often have foreign accents and pronunciation of words that they mix into their English. These teachers should politely point out this and assist the learners to cope up. At times, it may require that the learner known more than just speaking the language. Therefore, the teacher should have good reading skills to teach the same. (Nuan D., Ronald C., 2001)The teacher should have a wide vocabulary, and have a good pronunciation of words free of his/her native language’s effects. f) Patience. Teaching a language is a demanding task, and requires a lot of patience. Language teachers should be patient with their students. NON-NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKING TEACHERS (NNEST) The 191 commonwealth conference on the teaching of English as a second language in Makerere, Uganda stated that the ideal teacher of English is a native speaker of the language (Maun R, 2002) sparked a lot of different opinions and reactions on non-native English language teachers. Whereas there is no doubt in the fact that native speakers on any given language in the world have a feel for its nuance, are fluent and show a good use of its vocabulary and expressions. However, in most countries that English is not their native language, people do not qualify to become English teachers because it is their mother tongue, but rather because of academic qualification and training that allows them to be. Most knowledge that these teachers of English delivers in class is learned in the course of teacher training. Phillipson (1996) recognized that the NNEST can learn English, become fluent in it, use its rich expressions and vocabulary, appreciate the cultural connotations of the language, and be able to establish if a given expression or sentence form is correct. Non-native English teachers have an important role to play in today’s society. In the past it had been assumed that non-native English teachers were not as effective as native English teachers. (Nuan D., Ronald C., 2001)This came as a result of considering the teacher, while neglecting the student. Jenkins (2000) notes that the focus has been shifted from the teacher to the student, to the considerations of factors such as the listener’s background, knowledge and processing skills. The speech perceptions of the listeners play a major role towards understanding a subject of discussion. Jenkins (2000) notes that the process of speech perception is the same regardless of an individual’s listeners level of proficient in English. Its noted that in socio-linguistic competence, successful communications involves a substantial degree of shared socio-cultural knowledge, mostly, in native English listeners or through prolonged contact with the target society( in the cases of non-native English speakers). Generally, it has been observed that fluent speakers have the following in common, be they native or non-native English speakers. i. They have an intuitive knowledge of what is and is not appropriate communication behavior, especially in specific speech context, and in interpreting what is said to them accordingly. ii. They have a high degree of linguistic knowledge. It’s noted that this is purely subconscious in native English teachers, unlike in non-native English teachers. This can, be for example, be used to judge what is and what is not a valid word, and what syntactic and phonetic permutations are possible in the English language. iii. They know that makes other fluent speakers be good performers. It has been noted that this knowledge required a high level of phonemic and phonetic intuition. iv. These speakers are intuitively aware of the changes that often takes place in a connected speech. STRENGTHS OF NON-NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKING TEACHERS (NNEST) Non native English speaking teachers are important in the field of teaching English in the world. These teachers have a first hand experience in teaching and using a second language. They underwent training in using the language, and their personal experienced has enabled them to be sensitive to the linguistic and cultural needs of their students. Maum R (2002) Most English teachers from non-native English speaking countries, especially those that have the same first language as their students native language or mother tongue are better in teaching the language to these students because they are sensitive to the challenges faced by their students while learning English as their second language (ESL) or foreign language (EFL) This special sensitivity makes them to be better teachers by anticipating their students problems and challenges in learning the language. Maum R (2002) A study conducted by Medgos, (1996) of native and non-native English speaking teachers in 10 countries showed that the two types of teachers had an equal chance of success as good English teachers. It is only noted that the only challenge faced by these non-native English teachers was in English language proficiency. The same challenge also gave these teachers an advantage over the native English speaking teachers. These teachers can be good language models for their students. These teachers underwent the experiences that their students are undergoing, and had to adapt to the language learning strategies during their own leaning process (Maum R, 2002). Therefore, this makes them more emphatic to their students language needs and challenges, and be able to assist them overcome the same. CHALLENGES FACED BY NNEST IN TEACHING ENGLISH Teach English as a second language or English as a foreign language comes with its own challenges. These includes i. Phonological and phonetic performance. This involves the pronunciation of words, sentence composition, and grammar, among others. This skill is usually likely to be underdeveloped in non-native speakers of English, for example, they may have a different pronunciations of words affected by their native language, or may not immediately know if a certain word is a valid English word or not. The pronunciations may at times interfere with the overall understanding or words and their meaning to the students. And example is a teacher who has a heavy accent is a given language, such as a heavy Russian, or Arabic accent. ii. On of the goals of teaching the English language is to gain a deep socio-cultural appropriateness in the language such as British cultural studies. (Jenkins, 2000). Non-native English teachers and learners have plenty of access to British, American, Australian, and other cultures as well as their own of which they can compare to. Learning English may at times usually involve the learning of cultural aspects of the language, as this would derive some benefits to the learners in understanding it in entirety, if the learner was given a chance to compare between the several languages. (Colombo, M. & Furbush, D. ,2009) NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKING TEACHERS (NEST) These teachers include teachers of English as a second or foreign language in English speaking countries, such as English teachers in Australia. These teachers are important because, they teach the ‘actual’ English to the students as is spoken and used in the particular country. For example, in countries such as the US, some words may have a slightly different meaning as in other English speaking countries, such as the words ‘pants’, ‘football’, among others. The native English speaking teachers may help ESL and EFL learners use the specific version of the language. CONCLUSION Learning English a second language or a foreign language at times comes as challenging to the students who are not from native English speaking communities. English teachers have an important role to play in teaching these students the language. English teachers (both the ESL and EFL teachers) have an important role to play in educating learners from foreign countries or who speak other native languages apart from English. The number of students attending English speaking countries from non-English speaking backgrounds is on the rise. For example, According to US census (US census,2005), it was reported that there were 5.1 million English Language Learners in US schools, mostly immigrants from other countries. These students have to be trained to adapt to their new language. This trend is reflected across the UK, Australia, Canada among other nations.English teachers from non-native English speaking countries, especially those that have the same first language as their student’s native language or mother tongue may be better in teaching the language to these students because they are sensitive to the challenges faced by their students while learning English as their second language. This is because they can anticipate and react to the se challenges, and assist their students to overcome them easily. English teachers from native English speaking countries on the other hand, are important in helping the students learn how to use the language practically, as is used in the specific country. EFL and ESL learners often have challenges in learning and using the new language. Some of this challenge comes about due to the languages merging together and the effects of accent from the native language. These teachers should use various skills to assist the student learn easily without feeling biased or marginalized. Such skills that these teachers should employ include student relation skills, communications skills and other teaching skills. In classroom teaching, these teachers should employ a variety of approaches that will generate interest in the students in order to enhance learning. Such approaches that should be employed include use of role play, dramatization, among others. The determination shown by a teacher is what makes them great teachers of English, be they native or non-native speakers of the language. Passionate teachers always thirst for knowledge and in the process; improve themselves as well as improving their students’ level of knowledge in the language. Such teachers can become great if they are hardworking, and develop good reading habits to develop a rich and diverse vocabulary in the language, are open to opinions .flexibility enables the teacher to adapt to new situations. BIBLIOGRAPHY Carter, Ronald and David Nunan. (2001) The Cambridge Guide to Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Cambridge: CUP pp 10-23 Campbell, R. & Green, D. (2006) Literacies and Learners: Current Perspectives Sydney: Pearson Education Australia. Colombo, M. & Furbush, D. 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