Chandigarh Academy

SUMMARY:

LANGUAGE

: COURSES

: LANGUAGE USAGE

: MEANING

: TEACHING METHOD OR IDEAS

: FEATURE

: PLANING

: TEST

Language

What is a language? Language is a tool we use to communicate with other people. We encode what we want to say using language which is made u p of a range of components.

USING LANGUAGE TO INTERACT

We interact with different people

for different reasons in different

situations in different

situations.

There is a wide range of

expressions that perform certain

‘functions’, i.e. the things we do with

language, for example, there are general functions such as thanking,

asking for information,

inviting, suggesting, greeting, agreeing,

and so on.

Language users need to make choices about the language they

choose to communicate with. This choice is very limited in the early stages of learning a language.

In some languages, the relationship between the speaker and listener is

reflected in the grammar.

Language in the classroom

We can divide language activities in the classroom into two categories—introducing language and using language that has already been encountered. As learners progress, they will constantly meet language for the first time, sometimes inside the classroom, sometimes outside.

MEANING There are many ways of helping

learners understand the meaning of a word or phrase. For example, with a word like ‘job’ we can:

translate the word from English into the L1

give the learners examples of types of jobs, for example, by providing pictures of people doing different jobs.

SUMMARY It is important for the language teacher

to know as much as possible about the language that they are teaching. The language system is complex and learners need to be guided through it. They will often come across language for the first time which they will need to incorporate into their own language system.

TEACHING METHODS AND IDEAS

The Grammar-Translation Method

Background: The method itself came from the way individual

learners studied classical languages such as Greek and

Latin. This was done mainly by studying the grammar in detail and translating texts from the

original into the learners’ language.

FEATURES

Sentences and longer texts are translated both to and

from the learners’ first language. Little or no

attention is paid to the ability to speak or communicate. Grammar rules are given a lot of attention, especially

word endings and sentence formation.

COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING CLT started in the late 1960s and

continues to evolve. It is not actually a method but an approach to teaching based on the view that learning a language means learning how to communicate effectively in the world outside the classroom.

TASK-BASED LEARNING TBL focuses on the ‘process’ of

communicating by setting learners tasks to complete using the target language. During this period, the learners acquire language as they try to express themselves and understand others. The tasks can range from information gap to problem-solving tasks.

CHAPTER 4: LISTENING

We listen for a purpose, but this purpose can be very

different depending on the situation:

-listening

for specific details

Listening for

general meaning

Listening for the general idea or

gist.

LISTENING SKILLS Learners need to develop the following

skills: Learning to listen in various ways Adapting the way they listen according

to the test and the reason for listening Recognizing the features of spoken

English

SPEAKING

The speaking process:

INTERACTION Spoken interaction involves two or more

people talking to each other, for example, one person makes a request and the other person responds. We call this an exchange.

Reading

There are two basic types of texts-authentic and non-authentic. Examples of authentic texts are newspaper articles, website pages, emails, packaging and labels, and so on. Non-authentic texts are written especially for learners using imaginary contexts and simplified vocabulary and sentence construction.

READING SKILLS Learners need to develop the following

skill: Learning to read in various ways, for

example, skimming and scanning Adapting the way they read according to

the text and their reason for reading

Writing

When we are writing we have to do something similar except that we do it with letters rather than sounds. We put these together to forms words, phrases, clauses, and sentences, and put sentences together to make a coherent text.

SPELLING Spelling causes problems for lots of

learners because there is no one-to-one relationship between sounds and spelling in Engllish.

PUNCTUATION Learners need to know the basic

elements of punctuation: Capital letters: for the beginning of a

sentence, place names, and so on. Full stops: for the end of a sentence Commas: to mark the ends of

phrases and clauses Question marks: to signal a question Apostrophe: to show an abbreviation

or possessive.

STUDY SKILLS Learners need to develop the skills of

note taking and record keeping. Note taking is an essential skill in the classroom particularly if learners are going to be studying academically at some stage. During a lesson the teacher should always give learners time to make notes, make sure that whatever they themselves write on the board is clear and relevant, and monitor learners’ note taking and give advice if necessary.

Planning

Before we teach a lesson, we need to decide:

What the goals or aims of the lesson are What resources to use: a coursebook or

textbook, handouts or worksheets, posters, recorded material, etc.

PREPARING TESTS FOR YOUR LEARNERS The following guidelines should help to

make progress and achievement tests a positive experience for your learners.

Test what you have taught. Test what is useful. Test all four skills. Tell your learners ‘when’ and ’what’.

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