Methods used in Teaching English as a Foreign Language - Assignment Example

Methods used in teaching English as a foreign language The presence of a variety of language teaching methodologies and approaches present a difficult choice to teachers. Secondary Language teaching has its history from the day the first human happened upon another who spoke in a different dialect or language. The need to cohabitate makes it necessary for people living in the today’s world to speak in at least two or three languages, one of them obviously foreign. English has gained quite a reputation for being the most acquired as a foreign language. That might be because of the far and wide opportunities of education that are made available in English. Secondly the immigration and migration rates to English speaking countries are quite high even after the low admittance rates existing in such countries. Therefore teaching and learning English as a foreign language has gained great impact. In view of this importance, the methodologies that are being applied are of great significance to people. We would see about ten techniques for teaching English as a second or foreign language in this essay. Firstly a brief introduction shall be conveyed about each of them and some significant applications they could carry out in assisting the teaching of English as a foreign language. Secondly the author of this essay shall share the methodologies that she feels best about using and the argument she has for these choices. Traditional Methods The Traditional methods being studied include the direct method, the Audio Lingual approach, and the Grammar-translation method. Traditional methods have a history of focusing on grammar, structure, dictation, and appropriate handling and usage. The concepts though old are still not replaceable in all situations, and at one or the other time teaching English as a foreign language requires their application. Direct Method. The Direct method does not believe in translation and permits students to comprehend meaning directly through the language meant to be learned. Pantomimes and visual aids are used to augment the vocabulary and produce a clear picture of things pertinent to the words. All communication is emphasized to be in the target language. The interaction between the tutor and the pupil becomes more interactive. Practices such as perception of context using intuitive guesses and hints from the teacher or completing the fill- ins are common in this methodology. For example students studying English as a foreign language might be shown different picture cards of the things found in common usage or are part of usual knowledge, like picture cards of apples, fishes, colors, numbers. The same way they are used when teaching children who study English as a mother tongue. Because relying solely on the objective language increases the need for students to understand it. Audio Lingual Method. The Audio Lingual or the army method forms its basis upon the belief that acquirement of a set of correct language routine is the most imperative task in learning a language. It began with the advent and then the extreme popularity of audio tapes. This method utilized recorded audio tapes of native speakers and urged pupils to mimic their recitation dialogue and accent. Such coaching was often conducted in language lab settings. The grammatical structures introduced in the initial classes are reinforced in the upcoming classes. In a class of English as a foreign language the audio lingual method could be used by the teacher by speaking a sentence over and over and asking the students to repeat it one by one with different emotions. For example, teacher could have uttered the sentence “We are happy”, and each student would have to repeat it. But the first student might have to say it happily, the second in a gloomy way, the third in excitement, fourth in sarcasm, and the fifth might have to say it in a frightened manner , sixth one would have to express it while crying, and so and so on. Grammar-Translation Method. The Grammar-translation method is usually conducted in the native language of the pupils. It accentuates on cultivating the pupil’s interest in the objective language’s literature and the students work translating to and fro from the native language to the objective one. It consists of extensive use of bilingual dictionaries, learning and understanding of grammatical structures and rules. The teacher of an English class that is being taught to students of a single foreign nationality or background can use their native language to communicate (if the teacher is proficient in the language of that foreign country). Thus the grammatical structure and vocabulary is translated using the knowledge of both the languages. Communicative language teaching Communicative language teaching believes in task based instruction rather than the formal teaching of grammar and structural rules (Ellis, 2003). Grammatical errors are removed by the process of extensive use of language. Following methods are studied under communicative language teaching. Communicative approach. The Communicative Approach puts great weight to the entail of enhancing the communicative aptitude in students, contrary to linguistic proficiency; thus, appropriate usage is emphasized over structures. Pupils are placed in small groups to work and confer upon bona-fide literature. Students of English could be provided with stories like Alice in wonderland and Pinocchio to read and discuss with each other they might even be asked to play some of the roles in these stories. The thespian indulgence would be encouraging in terms of interactive education. Natural Approach. The Natural technique and the communicative approach come from the same philosophical background. The natural technique like the communicative one believes conventional linguistic education to be a redundant lesson. Pedagogically, fluency is attained from the course of acquisition which naturally follows the acquirement of structure of the language. Students again, could be divided into small groups and they might be asked to read a particular conversation written in English over and over. They could do it by changing roles in the conversation and then they could be asked to use certain simple words from the conversation in another sentence. Total Physical Response Approach. The significance of listening comprehension in the Total Physical response approach is critical. This ritual imitates the initial phases of natural language acquisition in which speaking, reading or writing come much after the listening and absorbing stage. Successful conception of language gets conveyed by the correct carrying out of the instructions provided by the teacher. This could be applied in a class of English studied as a second language by the teacher, by using visual aids to assist his speaking. He might show pictures of scenarios from a story or a movie and tell the story with respect to the scenarios. Competency-based method. English Competency is one of the most critical dexterities in various contexts. Competency-based method of teaching refers to defining academic targets in terms of tangible description of comprehension and skills till the conclusion of the course. This approach is more concerned with the outcome rather than the process. The curriculum and the tutoring are clear in terms of organization and planning (Wong, 2008). In this method the teacher of the class of English taught as a second language might use objective based tasks. Students could be provided with a set of vocabulary with their meanings in the native language plus pictures and simpler synonyms in case of later on classes. The students would have to learn these words as assignment, while the teacher might repeat them over in class also. Innovative language teaching The innovative methods of teaching are not nearly as old. They are known to have emerged in 1960’s and are widely prevalent till now. They employ different psychological techniques to make the learning process easy. Suggestopedia. In the method commonly known as Suggestopedia, the psychological barriers that thwart the learning process are disposed of. An active learning environment is induced by the notable means of soft music and subdued lighting. Students convert themselves into a character germane to that language and culture. The subconscious retains the dialogs presented to students during this time and makes it simple for them to practice them later on. Students might be asked to take some English names such as Daniel, David and Emily, and they might have to perform an act about a certain aspect of each of their lives. This could include props and things for fun. Silent Way. Gattegno’s Silent way sets its faith in the belief that teaching must be minion to learning and the pupils must be independent in their capability to discriminate between correct and mistaken. All four skills of language are educated from the point of commencement. The silent way spites spoon feeding and let students develop a gut feeling about the language. Students might be given words from a conversation and they might be asked to make their sentences, write them down and then each of them reads it allowed. Nothing is corrected, and students are given free ground to play in. They learn through their peers. Then teacher might show them some easy sentences of each word so that they can compare. Community Language Training. In Currens scheme of Community Language Learning, the qualms of the learners are understood and accepted, which helps them in conquering their doubts and uncertainties. The subsistence of students as beings of perceptions, emotions, instincts and desires such as learning is acknowledged. Even the syllabus is self tailored by the students and their preferences. Students might be asked what their favorite thing about their own language is, and what used to be their favorite activity in the language when they were getting schooled. Then that activity can be included in the English as a foreign language class. Choice of methods for teaching English as a second language The second section of the essay is dealing with the choice of method that the author makes. The demands of proficiency in English as a second language are quite elevated in the present world. And till now traditional methods (that put stress on formal education of grammar and composition) have not produced significantly competent results (Pica, 1994). But the problem begins when you realize that same is the case with the modern approaches which include the use of psychological and natural methodologies. Maybe it’s time for the world of English teaching to be more open towards the amalgamation of the two kinds (Pica, 2000). The integration of the best practices amongst different language coaching techniques would provide an overall experience of the best of the best. That would be like the joining of hands of two oppositely faced snakes to strike the enemies of language instruction and grasp. Instructors should adopt the extensive listening offered with the psychological uplift that is provided by the method of suggestopedia. Georgi Lezanov the originator of this method believed that the greatest hurdles faced in the learning of a second language are the psychological obstructions set up by the tyros (Larsen-Freeman, 2000). Once they are removed the natural process of learning commences. She believed that the natural progression of learning is fast (far swifter than we anticipate). According to suggestopedia practices, use of fine art shall instigate the learning process as arts and music speak for themselves and need no formal training for basic understanding. So the classrooms are artistically decorated in a way that they also act as visual aids to the language, and the soft music lowers the guards of pupils, activating and intriguing their subconscious which starts absorbing its surrounding in a vigorous and sublime manner. The taking over of new identities that are pertinent to the English language and culture further detaches them from their own selves and the activities conducted while being those characters come artlessly to the pupils. Even learning becomes easy because the initiation in another role excites pupils and they feel incarnated thus they want to experience the character’s life for those moments. This exercise employs the creative thought process of the students by asking them to develop the life story and information about the character they imitate. The power to change who you are makes them desire to be who you want to be and thus the character developed is close to the heart of the student. Then Communicative approach can come in and find its way through the scenario by repeated practicing of communication between the individuals that are divided into small groups to make sure everybody gets to practice their communication skills. Students could be involved in different games, for example picture cards or scenario could be used amongst small groups. Cards in an assembly of four pupils are given three cards each and the remaining card is placed face down. The fifth pupil in the group has to guess what a certain student is doing today (the one whose cards are placed in the middle). Say the fifth person says that the absent pupil is gone playing basketball. Then the accusation becomes true only if no other student has his basket ball card and the card is present in the deck placed face down. Such activities increase the communication process and bring out the candor in the students as they involve themselves in playful activities and feel less burdened by the formality of education. Objective language is used merely as a form of medium of communication for classroom activities rather than a pedantic task creating ennui. In later classes a formal introduction to grammar and structure can be provided in smaller chunks while making sure that this traditional method of teaching is accompanied with a couple of fun activities. Class instructions about grammar should only begin after the point when students have started grasping a little structure and vocabulary through observation. The reason for choosing Suggestopedia is its usage of science of psychology for improving the results of language learning. It provides leverage over other methods by its scientifically superior practices. Teachers around the whole world have agreed that Suggestopedia is developed because it mitigates fear of learning and students learn to trust the power of their minds using this method. Moreover the states of subconscious activation induced by music and art are particularly useful in class. In fact they are extremely valuable at times. Learning in a secure environment in which the original personalities of students are in no danger of humiliation gives remarkable results. The dialogues taught are based upon language that is appropriate in terms of immediate and untrained usage. But even though suggestopedia is more developed it might not be the most effective technique to teach English. Suggestopedia has its shortcomings and other methods need to be used in parallel and in combination in order to produce a desired outcome in English learning. Suggestopedia’s real essence isn’t interaction and improving your communication skills so we lend practices from other methods to help us in those regards. Communicative approach is preferred for working side by side suggestopedia because it makes up where suggestopedia lacks in the application of language in real time situations. Communicative approach is capable of making students face practical conditions where they might have to speak or communicate otherwise in the target language. Students that have experienced communicative approach are prepared for any scenarios like that because of the numerous tasks they are given. Since these tasks catered a lot of communication these students have an idea of the communication in the objective language out in the tangible world. Direct method or any other method could be opted for when it would come to teaching grammar to the students. But the lessons with grammar should only begin after the learners are ready to take and understand the grammatical demands of the language. The author prefers direct method as it is possible in implementation with the other two approaches author picked. Direct method provides a natural environment and it feels less artificial to study a language when one learns it without translation, (that is the way they learned their mother tongue). References Ellis, R. (2003). Task-based language learning and teaching. Oxford University Press. Top of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form Larsen-Freeman, D. (2000). Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching [Texte Imprimé]. Oxford University. Pica, T. (1994). Research on Negotiation: What Does It Reveal About Second‐Language Learning Conditions, Processes, and Outcomes?. Language learning, 44(3), 493-527. Pica, T. (2000). Tradition and transition in English language teaching methodology. System, 28(1), 1-18. Wong, R. M. H. (2008). Competency-based english teaching and learning: investigating pre-service teachers of Chineses learning experience. Porta Linguarum: revista internacional de didáctica de las lenguas extranjeras, (9), 179-198. Read More