The Expense of Communicative Approaches to Language Learning and Teaching - Article Example

A Review of Anglo-Link DVD: Learn English Skills Introduction This review focuses on a language learning activity from Anglo-Link, an English language teaching video program entitled “Learn English Listening Skills”. Listening is one of the four main language learning skills; the others are speaking, reading and writing skills. According Richards (2009), courses for listening and speaking have gained prominence in language programs worldwide and so is the interest in teaching of listening. The learning activity is first highlighted in an overview that summarizes the content of each of its sections. The second section of the review considers the learner proficiency which defines the learner level at which the activity is appropriate. The learner factors, the next section of the review, comprise issues touching on the learner’s interaction with the activity. Components in the activity that make it learner-friendly are appraised. The next section that deals with cultural factors evaluates the segments of the activity that may affect the learners due to their cultural values. The last section of the review summarizes, concludes and makes recommendations on the issues addressed. The methodology this review adopts is based on the six proposals arising several research findings on language pedagogy cited by Lightbrown & Spada (2013). They include Getting it right from the beginning; Listening and reading; Talking; Getting two for one; Teaching what is teachable and getting it right at the end. Language learning activity The Anglo-Link DVD “Learn English Listening Skills” is a program that basically teaches listening comprehension skills. It has two main sub-parts namely “Keys to Better Listening Comprehension” and “English Listening Practice” (See Appendices 1 and 2 respectively). The second part is an embedded activity in the first part and they last about 20 and 6 minutes respectively. The activity in the video is aimed at instructing the learners on the listening strategies for spoken texts by native English speakers. The overall objective is for the learners to be able to accurately comprehend spoken English as used by native speakers. First, the program highlights and exemplifies three main sources of the listening difficulties for second/foreign learners of English and teaches practical ways of overcoming each. To achieve this goal, the learner is first exposed to several English vowels and diphthongs in context. Clues for understanding spoken texts are then given in form of the three common speech patterns used by native speakers namely contracted forms, weak forms and phonetic links. This is followed by a video transcription activity in which the learner listens to fifteen sentences – one at a time (and each is repeated) – and the learner is supposed to transcribe each sentence. A transcript for each sentence is given with which the learner compares his or her transcription. The next section involves the activities that improve the learner’s pronunciation. The learner’s attention is drawn to the difference between spelling, on the one hand, and pronunciation and word stress on the other. The last section trains the learner to comprehend the spoken text by using the ear rather than the eye. The Anglo-Link DVD program ends with giving the learner further activity that comprise listening to audio books, listening to the radio, watching films, using talking dictionaries and other Anglo-Link audio files. The strategies for teaching listening in this video fit the description offered by Buck (2001). They can be loosely categorized as cognitive and metacognitive strategies. Learner proficiency Learners who can meaningfully learn from this activity can be either adults or children who are learning English as a second or foreign language but have already acquired some basic language skills in the first language or English. They should have a reasonable mastery of English expressions especially the written form. One of their main problems; however, is the difficulty in picking up words or expressions from native or native-like speech. They could also be having challenges in pronunciation. The first part of the activity presumes that the learner knows how to spell Basic English words. The second part which involves video transcription of English expressions assumes that the learner is able to write and read English sentences. The primary task in this section lies not in writing the language forms correctly but in listening to these forms accurately. The correct transcripts given after each word imply that the learner has no problem with reading the target language. This therefore means that this DVD can be used, with varying success levels; by intermediate learners of English provided they are already literate in the language. The program also assumes that the learners are aware of the consonant and vowel sound system of languages. Learner factors Intermediate learners of English would find some parts of this DVD inaccessible or even inappropriate. One source of difficulty for students learning from this video is the use of technical jargon that would only be appropriate for very advanced learners or linguists. For example, the video teacher, while instructing, talks of ‘diphthongs’, ‘minimal pairs’, ‘contracted verb forms’ and ‘phonetic links’. The teacher should have used descriptive expressions to point out these concepts to the learner. Another source of problems is the phonetic symbols that the video uses. These, again, may be inaccessible to the average learner for whom the activity is meant. The presenter uses the schwa symbol /ə/in several examples given and this would seriously disorientate the learners, especially those who have not meant them before. If it has to be used in the activity, it would have been more prudent to teach by examples what sound the symbol represents before it is used. The imbedded video transcription exercise is an essential part of this activity yet it is just an attachment that must be accessed online through a web link. Not all learners would click the link to access it as assumed. It would have been more effective to include the segment within the video activity itself – probably at the beginning or at the end of the presentation. Cultural factors The cultural issues in the Anglo-Link video are both teacher and content related. The teacher-oriented issues arise from her dressing and mannerisms in the course of the presentation. The fact that part of her chest is uncovered may present a problem to learners from cultures that consider such modes of dressing inappropriate for women like the Muslim community. The necklace that she adorns may also be an impediment to students from cultures that disapprove of such adornments. Some of the teacher’s mannerisms like shrugging may also be offensive to some learners. The content-related issues have to do with the examples given in the course. An example of offensive language is a word like “mad”. Learners who feel that this word is demeaning to those who are mentally challenged would find this example inappropriate. There is gender disparity in the examples given and female learners may feel left out since the examples of the contracted forms do not include a feminine pronoun, for instance, ‘she’ll’ yet it does has an example with the masculine pronoun “he’s”. Furthermore, in the video transcription exercise, out of 4 gendered subjects, 3 are masculine (He) while only one is feminine (She). Another example of a culture-dependent expression is the sentence ‘I can ski’. In cultures that occupy geographical regions that don’t have the glacier or ice, the example will not be understood in or out of context. The last strategy taught by the video for improving listening proficiency is “Learning primarily with ears rather than eyes”. This segment makes an assumption that all learners are sighted. It could thus present cultural challenges especially to those who are who are visually impaired but are still supposed to learn listening and speaking skills from the video. A Critique based on the six proposals for language teaching The last section of the DVD apparently overemphasizes learning by the ear (hearing) over learning by sight (reading). The learners, for example, are instructed to use a CD-ROM rather than read the textbook it accompanies. Research findings, however, fault overreliance on listening and hearing strategies at the expense of communicative approaches to language learning and teaching (Lightbrown & Spada 2013). In the context of the first proposal that language learning activities should be compliant to the principle of “Getting it right from the beginning”, such emphasis on one skill over others is misplaced. The second principle to be considered when designing or appraising a language learning activity “Just listen…and read” involves exposing the learners to comprehensible language input through listening and/or reading (Krashen 1982). The Anglo-Link DVD complies with this maxim in that it provides native language input for the students to rely on. It can also be said that the input in this DVD is comprehensible since it provides what could be familiar to the learners and new input to be acquired. The input in the DVD is also enhanced by use of colours, underlines and bold type faces that highlight the aspects of listening difficulty. This corresponds to the proposals for enhancing input made by Smith (1993). It has been observed that active listening for meaning is valuable for teaching and learning language (Lightbrown & Spada 2013). The DVD is a meaningful attempt to this end. The third proposal, “Let’s talk”, emphasizes that a language student interacts with the comprehensible input, with the teachers and with the fellow students. If adhered to, this principle would lead to the construction of task-based language teaching activities that accord learners an opportunity to arrive at mutual understanding after negotiating meaning with the text and with one another. This aspect was clearly overlooked by the designer of Anglo-Link DVD. This aspect can be taken care of by incorporating group activities and interactive segments in the video. Thus, it would ensure that students learn by talking to one another and with the teacher and enhance learning (Goh and Yusnita 2006). The fourth principle is called “Get two for one”. It entails integrating second or foreign language learning in a variety of educational settings. The target language can, for instance, be used as the medium of instruction in the school system for teaching other subjects besides English. Consequently the learners gain twice by learning the content of these subjects as well as learning the foreign language. This approach to language teaching/learning motivates the learner to acquire the target language in order to do well in the other subjects. Though a purely language learning activity video like Anglo-Link cannot achieve this, it is possible to teach language in non-linguistic contexts. A DVD for teaching non-linguistics content, for instance, engineering or psychology can be adapted for instructing listening comprehension skills. By so doing, the learner ends up in the same situation of getting “two for one” as envisaged in the immersion programmes advocated by this fourth principle. Such contextualized activities have been used in by Harmer, Acevedo & Lethaby (2006). “Teaching what is teachable” which is the fifth principle proposes that different language structures should be presented to learners at different developmental levels. It posits that acquisition of linguistic features is sequential. White (1998) hypothesizes that some linguistic structures cannot be acquired by learners if presented before they are developmentally ready for them. Applied to the Anglo-Link DVD, the language structures it presents are within the level of the learner proficiency for which the program is intended. However, as noted earlier, the language of the instructor is way above the learner’s level. It employs technical jargon like diphthongs, phonetic links and contracted/weak forms for which the learner is not ready. The last proposal “Get it right in the end” emphasizes form-focused instruction or corrective feedback. Though it does not assume that everything must be taught, it expects that the learners’ attention is drawn to their weaknesses so that they can notice how their language differs from that of more proficient speakers. The Anglo-Link DVD captures this very well in the sense that the learners in the video are reminded of how the native speakers’ language differs from their own. The video also attempts to focus the learners’ attention on the areas of difficulty and tries to help them overcome them. Conclusion It can be concluded from the foregoing that the Anglo-Link DVD on learning English listening skills is intended to present language learning activities in a manner that would facilitate acquisition of the desired skills. However, the learner proficiency being primarily intermediate, the DVD has been faulted for using inaccessible linguistic terminology in talking about the language structures to be acquired. This review has also pointed out several cultural factors – both teacher and content based – that would easily impede learners’ fruitful interaction with the program. Lastly, on the basis of the six pedagogical processes, Anglo-Link DVD is visibly strong when it comes to the second and the sixth principles but it is weak in the other four principles. It is; therefore, recommendable that the restructuring of the DVD be done to incorporate group activities and segments that facilitate learner-teacher interaction. This will make it truly a task-based learning propounded by Ellis (2003). It is also important that the language of instruction be simplified and phonetic symbols be replaced by familiar alphabet. Culturally offensive elements should also be removed. Lastly, the activity can be contextualized on a subject matter, say communication technology or health. This will motivate learners and ensure that as they learn linguistic structures, they also learn some non-linguistic content. Such changes would enhance the DVD’s appeal and improve its pedagogical success. Bibliography ANGLO-LINK “Learn English Listening Skills” Viewed on 10th September, 2014 ANGLO-LINK “English Listening Practice” Viewed on 10th September, 2014. BUCK, G. (2001). Assessing Listening. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ELLIS, R. (2003). Task-based language learning and teaching. Oxford : Clarendon. GOH, C., AND T. YUSNITA (2006). Metacognitive instruction in listening for young learners. ELT Journal 60(3):222–232. HARMER, J. ACEVEDO,A. AND LETHABY,C. (2006). Just right. Pre-intermediate, Student's book. London: Marshall Cavendish. LIGHTBOWN, P. & SPADA, N.(2013). How languages are learned. 4th edition, Oxford University Press, Oxford. KRASHEN, S.(1982). Second language acquisition and second language learning. Oxford Pergamon. RICHARDS, J. C. (2009). Teaching listening and speaking: from theory to practice. Singapore, SEAMEO Regional Language Centre. SHARWOOD SMITH, M. (1993). Input enhancement in instructed SLA: Theoretical bases. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, vol. 15, 165–179 WHITE, J. (1998).Getting the Learners’ Attention: A Typographical Input Enhancement Study. In C. Doughty & J. Williams (Eds.) (1998).Focus on Form in Classroom Second Language Acquisition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Read More

Learner proficiency Learners who can meaningfully learn from this activity can be either adults or children who are learning English as a second or foreign language but have already acquired some basic language skills in the first language or English. They should have a reasonable mastery of English expressions especially the written form. One of their main problems; however, is the difficulty in picking up words or expressions from native or native-like speech. They could also be having challenges in pronunciation.

The first part of the activity presumes that the learner knows how to spell Basic English words. The second part which involves video transcription of English expressions assumes that the learner is able to write and read English sentences. The primary task in this section lies not in writing the language forms correctly but in listening to these forms accurately. The correct transcripts given after each word imply that the learner has no problem with reading the target language. This therefore means that this DVD can be used, with varying success levels; by intermediate learners of English provided they are already literate in the language.

The program also assumes that the learners are aware of the consonant and vowel sound system of languages. Learner factors Intermediate learners of English would find some parts of this DVD inaccessible or even inappropriate. One source of difficulty for students learning from this video is the use of technical jargon that would only be appropriate for very advanced learners or linguists. For example, the video teacher, while instructing, talks of ‘diphthongs’, ‘minimal pairs’, ‘contracted verb forms’ and ‘phonetic links’.

The teacher should have used descriptive expressions to point out these concepts to the learner. Another source of problems is the phonetic symbols that the video uses. These, again, may be inaccessible to the average learner for whom the activity is meant. The presenter uses the schwa symbol /ə/in several examples given and this would seriously disorientate the learners, especially those who have not meant them before. If it has to be used in the activity, it would have been more prudent to teach by examples what sound the symbol represents before it is used.

The imbedded video transcription exercise is an essential part of this activity yet it is just an attachment that must be accessed online through a web link. Not all learners would click the link to access it as assumed. It would have been more effective to include the segment within the video activity itself – probably at the beginning or at the end of the presentation. Cultural factors The cultural issues in the Anglo-Link video are both teacher and content related. The teacher-oriented issues arise from her dressing and mannerisms in the course of the presentation.

The fact that part of her chest is uncovered may present a problem to learners from cultures that consider such modes of dressing inappropriate for women like the Muslim community. The necklace that she adorns may also be an impediment to students from cultures that disapprove of such adornments. Some of the teacher’s mannerisms like shrugging may also be offensive to some learners. The content-related issues have to do with the examples given in the course. An example of offensive language is a word like “mad”.

Learners who feel that this word is demeaning to those who are mentally challenged would find this example inappropriate. There is gender disparity in the examples given and female learners may feel left out since the examples of the contracted forms do not include a feminine pronoun, for instance, ‘she’ll’ yet it does has an example with the masculine pronoun “he’s”. Furthermore, in the video transcription exercise, out of 4 gendered subjects, 3 are masculine (He) while only one is feminine (She).

Another example of a culture-dependent expression is the sentence ‘I can ski’. In cultures that occupy geographical regions that don’t have the glacier or ice, the example will not be understood in or out of context.

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