Reflection of “Methods & Practice of Teaching ESL”

Introduction

“Methods and Practice of Teaching ESL" course gives an idea of general principles, approaches, methods and techniques of teaching The English language.  We have learned to teach different skills of English-speaking, listening, reading and writing; also the teaching of grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation by using various approaches and methods. 

1.     Lesson plan

1.1  What I have learnt from the class:

A lesson plan is a teacher's plan for teaching a lesson. It can exist in the teacher's mind, on the back of an envelope, or on one or more beautifully formatted sheets of A4 paper. Its purpose is to outline the "programme" for a single lesson. That's why it's called a lesson plan. It helps the teacher in both planning and executing the lesson. And it helps the students, unbeknownst to them, by ensuring that they receive an actual lesson with a beginning, middle and an end that aims to help them learn some specific thing that they didn't know at the beginning of the lesson.

1.2  Where I am going to implement my learning:  lesson plan is an essential part of every school, college, and the university also. A lesson plan gives a teacher planned way, proper time management and the outcomes are really good. 

1.3  How I will implement it: nowadays every institution follows a lesson plan. So I will implement my learning in any institution e.g. school, college, and university. I will combine all my knowledge and learning which I had learned through this course to implement it.

1.4  Why I will implement it: I will implement it because lesson plan helps students and teachers

ü  To avoid frustrations and unpleasant surprises

ü  To stay on track

ü  To achieve their objectives

ü  To visualize every step of the teaching process in advance

ü  To save time.

2       Grammar Translation Method (GTM)

GTM deserved most importance in the history of language learning. The study of classical Latin—works of Virgil, Ovid, Cicero and an analysis of its grammar became the model for foreign language study from the 16^th, 17^th to the 19^th centuries. The system emphasizes on detail analysis of its grammar rules and it requires little emphasis on speaking. The motto of this system is "To know everything about something rather than the thing itself." GTM dominated from the 1840s to the 1940s and in modified form it continues to be widely used in some parts of the world today. In the mid & late 19^th, we find Reform Movement (in some European countries) & opposition to GMT gradually developed.

2.1  What I have learnt from the class: I have learnt from the class that The Grammar Translation method embraces a wide range of approaches but, broadly speaking, foreign language study is seen as a mental discipline, the goal of which may be to read literature in its original form or simply to be a form of intellectual development. The basic approach is to analyze and study the grammatical rules of the language, usually, in an order roughly matching the traditional order of the grammar of Latin, and then to practice manipulating grammatical structures through the means of translation both into and from the mother tongue.

2.2  Where I am going to implement my learning:  I am not interested in implementing it in any institution because it teaches students about the target language, but not how to use it. It almost exclusively excludes oral production and strictly emphasizes written work in translation based on the learned prescriptive grammar of both the target and native languages.

2.3 Why I will not implement it: I will not implement it because

ü  teaching is not done in the target language, so social contextual exposure is essentially eliminated

ü  oral practice is almost entirely excluded, which is a great drawback because students' original sentences are not produced despite language being primarily oral

ü  mastery of the target is judged purely on translations, which, if done well, are the sole indicators that the language is known well

ü  it is a learning process in which error correction is necessary to advancement, putting the student in a defensive learning position, which may impede some student's learning of the target language

3       Direct Method

Direct Method is quite opposite to GTM which originated in the 1960s and this method is supported by Gouin, L. Sauveur(1826-1907), F Franke. This method claims that Second Language can be learned if the learner emerges in the target language and its culture. It emphasizes on context, meaning and correct pronunciation.

3.1  What I have learnt from the class: I have learnt from the class that The Direct Method is based on the direct involvement of the student when speaking, and listening to, the foreign language in common everyday situations. Consequently, there is lots of oral interaction, spontaneous use of the language, no translation, and little if any analysis of grammar rules and syntax. The focus of the lessons is on good pronunciation, often introducing learners to phonetic symbols before they see standard writing examples.

3.2  Where I am going to implement my learning:  it is not an easy methodology to use in a classroom situation. Because it requires small classes and high student motivation, and in the artificial environment of a classroom it is difficult to generate natural situations of understanding and guarantee sufficient practice for everyone.

3.3  How I will implement it: I will implement it if I get a small class and high student motivation. I will implement it by explaining new vocabulary using realia, visual aids or demonstrations.

3.4  Why I will implement it: One of its positive points is that it promises to teach the language and Not about the language. It is a natural method which teaches language the same way the mother tongue is acquired. Only the target language is used and the learning is contextualized. Its emphasis on the speech made it more attractive for those who have needs of real communication in the target language. It was one of the first methods to introduce the teaching of vocabulary through realia. That’s why I will implement it.

4.     The Audio Lingual Method (ALM)

The Audio-Lingual method of teaching had its origins during World War II when it became known as the Army Method.  It is also called the Aural-oral approach. It is based on the structural view of language and the behaviorist theory of language learning.

4.1  What I have learnt from the class: I have learnt from the class that language learning is a habit-formation, mistakes are bad and should be avoided because they are considered bad habits and language skills are learned more effectively if they are presented orally first, then in written form.

4.2   Where I am going to implement my learning: I am not interested in implementing it in any school, college or university. Because it does not pay sufficient attention to communicative competence and only language form is considered while meaning is neglected.

4.3   Why I will not implement it: I will implement it because

ü  The method is based on false assumptions about language. The study of language doesn't amount to studying the "parole", the observable data. Mastering a language relies on acquiring the rules underlying language performance. That is the linguistic, sociolinguistic, and discourse competencies.

ü  The behaviorist approach to learning is now discredited. Many scholars have proven its weakness. Noam Chomsky (“Chomsky, Noam (1959). “A Review of B. F. Skinner’s Verbal behavior”) has written a strong criticism of the principles of the theory.

5.     The silent way

The Silent Way is a language teaching method created by Caleb Gattegno that makes extensive use of silence as a teaching technique. It is not usually considered a mainstream method in language education. It was first introduced in Gattegno’s book Teaching Foreign Languages in Schools: The Silent Way in 1963.

5.1  What I have learnt from the class: I have learnt from this method that learning is facilitated by accompanying physical objects and by problem solving involve the material to be learned.

5.2  Where I am going to implement my learning:  I will not implement it in any school, college, and university.

5.3  Why I will not implement it: I will not implement it because

ü  The Silent Way is a harsh method. The learner works in isolation and communication is lacking badly in a Silent Way classroom.

ü  With minimum help on the part of the teacher, the Silent Way method may put the learning itself at stake.

ü  The material used in this method will certainly fail to introduce all aspects of language. Other materials will have to be introduced.

6.     Communicative Language Teaching (CLL)

Community Language Learning (CLL) is the name of a method developed by Charles A. Curran and his associates. Curran was a specialist in counseling and a professor of psychology at Loyola University, Chicago. His application of psychological counseling techniques to learning is known as Counseling-Learning. Community Language Learning represents the use of Counseling-Learning theory to teach languages.

6.1  What I have learnt from the class: I have learnt from the class that Community language learning (CLL) was primarily designed for monolingual conversation classes where the teacher-counselor would be able to speak the learners' L1. The intention was that it would integrate translation so that the students would disassociate language learning with risk taking. It's a method that is based on English for communication and is extremely learner-focused. Although each course is unique and student-dictated, there are certain criteria that should be applied to all CLL classrooms, namely a focus on fluency in the early stages, an undercurrent of accuracy throughout the course and learner empowerment as the main focus.

6.2  Where I am going to implement my learning:  I am not going to implement it in any school, college, and university.

6.3  Why I will not implement it: I will not implement it because

ü  The counselor/teacher can become too nondirective. Students often need directions.

ü  The method relies completely on inductive learning. It is worthwhile noting that deductive learning is also a viable strategy for learning.

ü  Translation is an intricate and difficult task. The success of the method relies largely on the translation expertise of the counselor

7.     Communicative language teaching (CLT)

It is an approach to the teaching of second and foreign languages, emphasizes interaction as both the means and the ultimate goal of learning a language. It is also referred to as “Communicative Approach”. Historically, CLT has been seen as a response to the Audio-Lingual Method (ALM), and as an extension or development of the Notional-Functional Syllabus. Task-based language learning, a more recent refinement of CLT, has gained considerably in popularity.

7.1  What I have learnt from the class: I have learnt from the class that almost everything that is done is done with communicative intent.  It uses of authentic materials. Whenever possible, ‘authentic language as it is used in a real context -- should be introduced. And activities in CLT are often carried out by students in small groups.

7.2   Where I am going to implement my learning:  I am going to implement it in a school, college or university. CLT is a new method in our country as it is introduced in our educational institutions during the mid-1990s. But it has been used in the Western countries for about 30 to 40 years. In this method, the learners are encouraged to interact with them in the classroom and their surroundings. Now the question is how much effective is it in Bangladesh perspective. In most of the first world countries, if they want to apply any new method, it is pre-tested after doing a lot of surveys at the field level. But the scenario is completely reversed in our country.

7.3  How I will implement it: I will implement it by using activities like scrambled sentences, language games, picture strip story and role play in the classroom. CLT makes use of real-life situations that necessitate communication. The teacher sets up a situation that students are likely to encounter in real life. It is noteworthy that the real life simulations change from day to day. Students’ motivation to learn comes from their desire to communicate in meaningful ways about meaningful topics.

7.4  Why I will implement it: I will implement it because the communicative approach to language teaching stresses the importance of communication and interaction among the pupils and between the teacher and the pupils to learn a foreign language. Rather than repeating mechanically dialogues or grammar rules learnt by heart, the communicative approach encourages pupils to use the target language in semi-authentic contexts. This approach also values the pupils' personal experiences outside the classroom as a way to facilitate their learning in the lesson. So most of the tasks of this approach demand that pupils work in pairs or in groups and discuss different aspects of their lives (free-time activities, likes/dislikes, have you ever done this or that). Another common task in the communicative approach is games like guessing as students have to ask and answer questions among themselves to do them (Choose a character from Spiderman. Your classmates have to guess who you are. Use Are you ....? and the short answers Yes, I am No, I'm not). Grammar points are introduced to support the learning of the structure in question (in the previous example, the inversion between subject and be in yes/no questions)

The good thing about the communicative approach is that it makes students speak the language even at a beginner level and they are usually enthusiastic about this. One negative aspect that I can see (but I am Italian and we're obsessed with grammar) is that the study of grammar is somewhat pushed to the side and pupils find it increasingly difficult to be aware of how a language works.

8.     Visual aids

8.1 What I have learnt from the class: Visual aids can powerfully help the effectiveness of a speech. Many speeches benefit from having objects, images, key quotes, or data presented in a clear and dramatic fashion. Visual aids vary in kind, but there are similar benefits and tips for dealing with any kind of supplementary evidence that is shown to an audience.

8.2 Where I am going to implement my learning: I am going to implement it in a school, college or university. Because visual aids improve audience understanding and memory, serves as notes, provides clearer organization, facilitates more eye contact and motion by the speaker and contributes to speaker credibility.

8.3 How I will implement it: There is different types of visual aids e.g. PowerPoint, Overhead projector slides/transparencies, Flip chart, Video, and Prezi presentation. By using these things we can implement it in a class.

8.4 Why I will implement it: I am going to implement it because it Helps students understand and remember concepts more easily, reduces teacher talking time, provides a touch point you can refer back to throughout the lesson and makes the class more dynamic and fun.

9.     Reading 

9.1 What I have learnt from the class: English language learners (ELLs) often have problems mastering science, math, or social studies concepts because they cannot comprehend the textbooks for these subjects. ELLs at all levels of English proficiency and literacy will benefit from the explicit instruction of comprehension skills along with other skills.

9.2 Where I am going to implement my learning:  I am going to implement it in a school, college or university.

9.3 How I will implement it: Examples of comprehension skills that can be taught and applied to all reading situations include: summarizing, sequencing, comparing and contrasting, drawing conclusions, self-questioning, problem-solving, relating background knowledge, distinguishing between fact and opinion, finding the main idea, important facts, and supporting details. These skills are particularly important for comprehending what is generally known as information reading or expository reading.

9.4 Why I will implement it: I will implement it because students will still need a lot of vocabulary development and teaching of comprehension strategies even if they have been mainstreamed after some bilingual instruction; if they are being pulled out for English as a Second Language or Sheltered English instruction; and/or if they have been assessed as English proficient but you know that they still need additional help with language, reading, and writing.

10.            Listening

10.1 What I have learnt from the class:

Students can improve their listening skills and gain

valuable input through a combination of

extensive and intensive listening material and

procedure. Listening to both kinds is especially

important since it provides the perfect opportunity 

to hear voices other than the teacher's, enables

students to acquire good speaking habits as a result

of spoken English they absorb and helps to

improve their pronunciation. 

10.2 Where I am going to implement my learning:  I am going to implement it in a school, college or university.

10.3 How I will implement it: I will implement it by using audio materials on tape, CD or hard disk when they want their students to practice listening skills.

10.4 Why I will implement it: This has numbers of benefits like recorded material allows them to hear a variety of different voices apart from just their own teacher's. It gives them an opportunity to meet a range of different characters, especially where real people are talking.  Audio material is portable and readily available. Tapes and CDs are extremely cheap and machines to play them relatively inexpensive. For this reason, I will implement it to class.

11.            Writing

11.1 What I have learnt from the class: To acquire the abilities and skills students need to produce a range of different kinds of writing texts similar to those an educated person would be expected to be able to produce in their own language. It may seem strange to worry about handwriting, incorrect spelling can adversely affect the reader’s judgment and different learning communities obey different punctuation and layout.

11.2 Where I am going to implement my learning:  I am going to implement it in a school, college or university.

11.3 How I will implement it: Writing has many side benefits, especially when included in a well-rounded curriculum.  I will implement it in a different way like I will ask students to write creative writing, instructions, and dialogue etc.

11.4 Why I will implement it: I will implement it because writing is essential to learning in every academic subject, Writing is the principal tool available to us for clarifying and refining our thoughts, writing enhances proficiency in reading. Writing analytically about one’s reading enhances comprehension, application, and critical thought and Writing enhances proficiency in reading. Writing analytically about one’s reading enhances comprehension, application, and critical thought.

12.         Speaking

12.1 What I have learnt from the class: Speaking is found on the tree as one of the branches; it is labeled oral production and is one of the skills students are to learn in their language development. The ability to converse is highly valued by students, but teachers often find it a skill that is hard to develop. Students often feel a great deal of anxiety around speaking. In this section, we will discuss the importance of developing excellent oral skills and how teachers can go about promoting this development.

12.2 Where I am going to implement my learning: I am going to implement it in a school, college or university.

12.3 How I will implement it: I will implement it by using these activities like discussion, role play, information gap, strip story, language games, scrambled sentences etc. which we can implement to promote speaking.

12.4 Why I will implement it: I will implement it because the goal of language is communication and the aim of speaking in a language context is to promote communicative efficiency; teachers want students to actually be able to use the language as correctly as possible and with a purpose. Students often value speaking more than the other skills of reading, writing and listening so motivation is not always as big of an issue, but what often happens is students feel more anxiety related to their oral production.  One of the primary benefits of increased communicative competency is the resulting job, education and travel opportunities; it is always an asset to be able to communicate with other people.

 13.  The best among all is Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)

Communicative language teaching is an effective method which is being used in foreign and second language teaching environments. It is an applicable method because it serves a communicative aspect to the language teaching and this is very important for the students in this environment in terms of gaining communicative skills. By giving more importance to the communicative aspect of language, the students can perform intensive communicative skills and professionalize the fluency of the language they are learning.

However, even though this enlightened way of teaching language has so many benefits, it should be applied appropriately in order to be effective and successful. For example, because it is a new trend in the EFL context, the teachers in Bangladesh are afraid of applying it their lessons because they do not have enough education to perform the necessities of it and they mostly conflict that the student type and the activities do not suit while applying the CLT method. Moreover, there are curriculum issues and the books supplied by the state are not based on the CLT method, so the teachers are always frustrated when they cannot apply the theory in practice. That is a big problem of EFL context in Bangladesh. For example, when a teacher tries to apply for group work so as to make the students learn in a communicative environment, the students think that they are not doing anything related to the lesson, but it is just a game spending the important time just for the sake of unimportant things, so the students have also problems stemming from their habits to learn grammar deductively and explicitly.

Furthermore, they find the CLT methods insufficient for their future because their knowledge will not be evaluated by that method, but by testing in state examinations. By these situations, we can understand that even though CLT continue to survive as a beneficial and effective method, there are still concerns about it, especially in Bangladesh. Another misconception of CLT is the aspect of grammar, the teacher thinks that CLT is a lack of teaching grammar and it is just a facilitator to teach grammar, it cannot be an end. However, it is not the case because CLT defends that grammar should be taught inductively and implicitly, so group work can help to teach the grammar inductively in an interactive way.

I think when the CLT method is used appropriately, it manages to be an end to teaching grammar very effectively and the students can comprehend the structures implicitly, so this can help them for long term learning. All in all, by examining these misconceptions we can say that CLT is a method that can be improved day by day and applied all the aspects of teaching because of the needs of the new trend students, the curricula, and language learning itself.

Conclusion

Knowing Teaching techniques are very important beside the depth knowledge of the subject. Throughout the course, we have learnt different teaching techniques that will obviously help us to be a confident and efficient teacher in the field of teaching EFL/ESL. These teaching techniques insight me into the teaching and I am sure I will be a very good teacher if I get the proper guidance of our skilled, efficient and prominent teachers.