Teaching English Grammar - Outline Example

Teaching English Grammar Affiliation: Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 0 Introduction 3 2.0 Learning Content 3 2 Outcome 4 2.2 Course Assessment 5 3.0 Problems to be expected 7 4.0 The ELT methodology 8 5.0 The Materials and Tasks Material(s) 9 5.1 materials to be used 10 5.1.1 Authentic Dialogues 10 5.1.2 Scripted Dialogues 11 5.2 Presenting Grammar 11 References 15 1.0 Introduction This paper mainly focuses on teaching English to students that English is not their first language. The paper outlines the teaching context providing relevant lesson plan, rationale, and materials analysis. The paper will also take into consideration a specific teaching context, focusing on teaching as an aspect of English grammar pitched to the curriculum. The teaching content and lesson plan considers the learner’s cultural background, gender and average age, language level, language needed, and the number of students. Notably, the class will consist of thirteen to twenty students. One student is Chinese, one is Japanese and the rest are Arab. 2.0 Learning Content This is a beginner’s English class where the students do not have a good understanding of English as a language. The main tenacity of the course is to teach grammar to the students. The content of the lesson will be taught in thirteen main parts. Below is a table outlining the content of the course. The table also outlines the function, the vocabulary to be learned and the dialogues for the students. Grammar function Vocabulary Dialogues Part 1 Using the alphabet Describing activities (subject/verb/action) Months of the year Days of a week Birthdays Part 2 Verb ‘to be’ and personal pronoun Introductions Numbers from 1-20 Paying bills Interview with a shop owner Part 3 Possessives Telling the time Use of large numbers Catching a train At the bicycle shop Part 4 More personal pronouns Asking for directions Colors Getting to the gym Where is the post office Part 5 Questions Suggestions, Invitations, offers, More colors Holiday plans Going to a party Part 6 Present continuous Appointments and reservations The house Fixing the roof Discussing houses Part 7 Past simple tense Making apologies The family Forgetting birthdays Family matters Part 8 Past continuous tense emergencies The body Part 9 Future tense Requests and instructions transport Part 10 Adjectives Idioms Cloths Part 11 Prepositions Telling preferences Vegetables and fruits Part 12 Conditionals Punctuation Drinks and food Part 13 Articles Explanations 2.1 Course Outcome By the end of this grammar course, it is anticipated that the students should have acquired: 1. An understanding of the key grammatical features of words and phrases. 1. An understanding of the important ways in which words are used in forming sentences in English. 2. A self-assured approach to uncertain cases where usage is divided. 3. A working knowledge of the simple terminologies used to designate the grammar of English. 2.2 Course Assessment Certificate of attendance will be offered to the students that have satisfactorily completed at the least 80% of the course. The certificates will be issued for all language levels and will be given out at the final class. 80% attendance is compulsory so as to receive a certificate of completion. Below is a lesson plan for the first class that will be on the use of alphabets. Most classes for the middle level in many colleges are filled with many students. However, this class has to have few students. The class has to have thirteen to twenty students. The motive for this is that the small class will provide multiple opportunities for the students to converse what they have learned in small groups (McGarry, 2012). Moreover, it will support a whole class discussion. The quality of the discussion in this class is very important as the tasks that require more than one answer generate deeper thinking processes for the students deepening their learning process. Notably, successful group discussions are characterized by small group conversations that give voice to all students. It also provides opportunity and sufficient time to listen and consider ideas of others. To illustrate this, if the grammar class consists of fourteen students, two groups can be formed in the class. Notably, since there are two students who have a different nationality, each will be placed in one group. Interaction between the learners will occur during group work. The students are expected to work in groups where they will use multiple modes of communication such as discussions, brainstorming, and making presentations. Moreover, students in this class will be encouraged to interact at different scales and engage in discussions. The students will work on open-ended problems. This will encourage in-depth conversations with each other and with me as their tutor. 3.0 Problems to be expected In teaching grammar for the students that English is not their first language, there are problems that I expect to encounter. The first problem is that the students may become overly dependent on me as their tutor. According to Carrasquillo and Carrasquillo (2013), in many instances, students automatically look to the teacher for correct answers rather than trying them. This becomes a detrimental problem if the teacher provides them with the answers every time. So as to avoid this problem, I intend to give the students positive encouragements. This will help the students become more willing and comfortable to answer the questions even if they give incorrect answers. The second problem I may encounter in this class is the persistent use of first language. McGarry, (2012) asserts that when teaching English to foreign students, persistent use of first language will be a common problem to expect. As their tutor, it is vital that I encourage the students to use only English for communication. Moreover, I will establish a set of rules for the class and develop a penalty system for students who use their first language. The third problem that I might experience in this class is the situation where the students are unclear on what to do or end up doing the wrong thing. According to Gebhard (2006), this problem occurs a lot and is mainly the fault of the tutor. If the instructions of an assignment are not clear, the students will whisper among themselves. So as to avoid this problem, I will ensure that all the instructions for assignments are clear. I will use mime, gestures, and short, concise sentences. The last problem I might encounter in this class is personality difference between students. Since the class consist of students of three different nationalities, it is expected that not all will become best friends. Drama might arise between students. The easiest method I will use to solve this problem is to separate them away from each other. 4.0 The ELT methodology The ELT methodology for this class will follow PPP, communicative language teaching, and task-based learning. By following presentation practice and production (PPP), I will present the course outline in small units that will be divided into presentation practice and production. In the presentation stage, the students will be able to acquire linguistic knowledge. In the practical stage, the students will practice the structure of English words and sentences helping them understand more. In the production stage, the main activities will be communicative tasks such as role play. This will help the students use the learned structure (Carrasquillo & Carrasquillo, 2013).The reason for using communicative language teaching in this class is to emphasize interaction as both the means and the final goal of the grammar course. According to Gebhard (2006), communicative language teaching is mainly based on the notion that learning language successfully comes from having to communicate real meaning. Therefore, when students in my class are involved in real communication, they will use their natural strategies for language acquisition allowing them to learn the use of English language. The reason for using task-based learning in this class is to involve students in something that they do in their daily life using their own language. The primary focus of using task-based learning in this class is the instructions that the students use to complete it. The task will be an activity which the students use English language so as to learn more. Notably, the task that will be involved in this class will reflect real life, and the students will mainly focus on meaning. Being their first English grammar class, the learners are not used to this type of learning. This makes it hard to apply the techniques. However, PPP, communicative language teaching, and task-based learning have been prescribed by many learning materials. However, PPP method faces many criticisms. Achard and Niemeier (2004) argue that the approach is inadequate since it reflects neither the nature of learning nor the nature of language. The students do not study in the same way as they are supposed to. From a class observation, it is revealed that the students in many instances are not capable applying the presented language outside the lesson (Vyas & Patel, 2009). Moreover, learners have been mastered in the lesson of the course resulting in disabling rather than enabling the language. This limitation of PPP may lead to ambiguity in my teaching. It may also result in using it ineffectively therefore not achieving the goals for the course. 5.0 The Materials and Tasks Material(s) The primary aim of this course is to teach the students the fundamental skills of English language that include listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The difficulty that may arise in this process is student’s understanding of some of the vocabularies used. All of the learners in this class do not have adequate background knowledge of the English language. Therefore, this will require me to use indirect methods of teaching instead of the natural methods of teaching English. In learning our mother tongue, we usually follow the sequence of listening, speaking, reading and writing (Carrasquillo & Carrasquillo, 2013). However, when it comes to learning English as a second language, we have to follow writing, reading, speaking and listening to sequence. 5.1 materials to be used In English as second language teaching world, there is right now a proceeding with verbal confrontation as to which kind of class materials for oral and listening exercises is more suitable. The decisions are between credible dialogs and materials taken from legitimate sources, for example, radio meetings, magazine articles and so forth and scripted exchanges arranged particularly for the lesson by the educator or some other English instructing source (McGarry, 2012). For the most part, the contention for credible materials is that the materials ought to speak to what learners will be stood up to within consistently life when utilizing English. Then again, defenders of scripted materials feel that by setting up the material students are not acquainted with issues that may be past the extent of the current level. Both contentions are just as substantial, and it is my own particular practice to utilize both sorts of materials in my classes. The following is a thought of what I consider the primary favorable circumstances and drawbacks of both sorts of materials. 5.1.1 Authentic Dialogues The advantage of real dialogs is presumably for the most part in the zone of listening understanding. By utilizing valid dialogs, learners are gone up against with genuine living encounters in which they will need to capacity. By utilizing these credible dialogs, the educator can concentrate on varieties in elocution, and how inflection and fragmented structures are utilized to express importance (Carrasquillo & Carrasquillo, 2013). By having learners concentrate on such territories of openings and conclusion, an instructor could then lead the class to dialog about, and practice of, suitable sorts of openings and conclusion and in addition another fitting dialect. Other more suitable issues, might likewise be tended to by utilizing valid dialogs. For a propelled class, the issue of spurning co-agent standards may be talked about by utilizing the way as a part of which this is accomplished in a real dialog as a case. Learners could then model oral exercises on the trade and perceive how close they can come to delivering the same impact 5.1.2 Scripted Dialogues I think that utilizing scripted dialogs are likely most valuable when an instructor is attempting to concentrate on the right frame. This is especially proper when working towards invigorating oral work. By utilizing a scripted dialog, the educator can control the class towards new or reused dialect aptitudes while keeping inconsistencies to a base (Gebhard, 2006). Particularly on account of lower level classes, where relational abilities are by and large the essential focus of such an action, the utilization of a scripted dialog permits the educator to focus on uncovered bone structures without needing to stress over befuddling the students. The issue of imparted information does not have to be tended to, and other etymological nuances, (for example, spurning co-agent standards keeping in mind the end goal to express incongruity) and the educator can utilize his/her insight into the class capacity to model the conversational stream. 5.2 Presenting Grammar I need to guarantee that the learners both see and hear the target English grammar effortlessly. So if I am using a whiteboard, it ought to be all around composed with diverse colors being utilized to separate between distinctive thoughts. In the event that I am using pictures, there ought to be no vagueness with reference to what they speak to and sounds made by me ought to be clear, as well as ought to be rehashed and the instructor needs to check the material has been seen effectively, and can do this by requesting that the learners rehash the sounds he or she is making. Learners will be assaulted with a progression of pictures relating to sounds made by the educator amid the presentation stage and it is the instructors obligation to guarantee that they are not over-burden with data and that reasonable connections are being made between the pictures and the related sounds (McGarry, 2012). Hence, there is an onus on me as the tutor not to utilize any superfluous English grammar at this stage. That is to say the evaluating of their English grammar ought to be suitable for the level of their understanding and the English grammar they utilize ought to comprise of the target English grammar and whatever other key English grammar needed to present the thoughts unmistakably, for example, command like listen! The commands ought to, at whatever point conceivable, be upheld by clear non-verbal communication. The learners should have the capacity to comprehend the importance of the material. So on account of preferences and aversions they maybe need to see a picture of a content face and partner it with preferring something and a tragic face and partner that with hating something. We additionally need to have a method for checking if the learners did for sure, comprehend the material exhibited without posing the question, Do you understand? As this constantly triggers the reaction yes! From learners why should sharp satisfy their educator and not to lose face. I, as an educator, need to be somewhat more creative in checking our understudys comprehension of material exhibited. Preferably, I ought to be weighing the learners seeing in setting. In the features, I will see, hope to see the educator doing this during the presentation stage. The learners will need to retain information from the presentation and utilization it further on in the lesson when I have solidified their learning of the material, and I will issue them a chance to deliver it all alone. For English grammar to be held by the learners, it needs to be drawing in, and I have to consider that diverse learners will recall the material in distinctive ways. Some, by the way, the material is seen, others by the way it is listened, and others in the event that it is connected with a physical development may be. I have to verify our presentation has something to empower every one of these sorts of learners to retain the information. Before I request that our learners rehearse new English grammar, I must have guaranteed that they have some comprehension of the new English grammar. I will have done this amid the presentation stage. In the occurrence that they have not had the new English grammar obviously introduced to them and been supported in being issued some comprehension of it, then they (the learners) wont be rehearsing at this stage yet will be experiencing another introductory learning stage. Worse still, they will feel like they are being tried for something they havent been permitted to pick up a comprehension of. When the students have had, English grammar presented to them clearly and have had a chance to practice it in a controlled domain. Likewise with the practice stage, we need to start an action that permits them chances to utilize the target dialect in the classroom. Indeed, the qualities of a creation stage movement are truly like the practice stage with one key contrast, and that is, understudy independence. Amid this stage, the learners will be delivering the target dialect with insignificant aid from the educator instead of the practice stage where the instructor will be close by to aid learners practice target dialect that has just barely been exhibited to them. It is vital that the learners get the same number of chances to talk utilizing the recently acquired grammar. In this way, an educator shouldnt be overwhelming them by talking finally, over the highest point of them to right any lapses. This clearly varies from the practice where learners anticipate that the instructor will help them as they practice (not create) recently procured dialect. Clever utilization of non-verbal communication by the educator will empower them to be discrete in redressing slips and will permit them to offer greatly required consolation to learners also. Every lesson offers questions to help direct point based discussion with a discussion accomplice. These inquiries can incite top to bottom examinations with local speakers and can be utilized by two learners together to practice their relational abilities. Learners learning English all alone can utilize these inquiries as composing Prompts for diary passages or articles. Numerous lessons incorporate extra perusing material and additional illustrations of expressions and representations. Interactive online exercises and games accessible through the subjects under "English Lessons" and "Tests and Games" connect with and challenge the students to practice your new vocabulary, to learn new words, and to find out about American society. Crossword riddles help the students unite equivalent words and definitions to new vocabulary, intuitive restaurant exercises request that the students work on requesting off a menu, travel trivia tests your insight into the United States and Europe, and Internet scavenger hunts acquaint the students with helpful sites in English while working on exploring the Internet in English. Interactive, scoring toward oneself tests and amusements test your insight as you learn. Check their understanding and find new territories for development. Quizzes test their dominance of critical sentence structure ideas, for example, relational words and verb shapes, and your vocabulary information. The level of each test quiz—very simple, simple, medium or hard is checked to help you measure your advancement and a few tests are made particularly for those concentrating on for the TOEFL test. On the web, Interactive diversions and trivia tests are connecting with approaches to test your social learning about themes like movies, writing, and travel. References McGarry, R. G. (2012). Teaching English as a second language: Giving new learners an everyday grammar. Jefferson, N.C: McFarland & Co. Carrasquillo, A. L., & Carrasquillo, A. L. (2013). Teaching English as a Second Language: A Resource Guide. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis. Gebhard, J. G. (2006). Teaching English as a foreign or second language: A teacher self development and methodology guide. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. Achard, M., & Niemeier, S. (2004). Cognitive linguistics, second language acquisition, and foreign language teaching. Berlin [u.a.: Mouton de Gruyter. Vyas, M. A., & Patel, Y. L. (2009). Teaching English as a second language: A new pedagogy for a new century. New Delhi: PHI Learning Private Ltd. Read More