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ESL forum >
Techniques and methods in Language Teaching > Answering in mother tongue
Answering in mother tongue
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sea camel
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Answering in mother tongue
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Hello everybody
To start with: I only teach intermediate classes (lower to upper level).
My colleagues who teach French ask their students to answer reading and listening comprehension questions in Dutch. This to avoid them copying sentences from the text and to be absolutely sure they understand the text. They pointed out that I should do such a thing in English too. But... I don �t agree. I think English is easier for my students than French, so we can easily reach a higher level in shorter time and I also think I should ask them questions they do not have to answer by copying sentences from the text. I really think I shouldn �t use Dutch in my English classes except when it is really necessary (e.g. an explanation). Do you share my opinion? A colleague of mine who teaches advanced classes asked me the same question... I really need your opinion or even advice!
Hugs
Kristien
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22 Aug 2009
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anitarobi
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I would have to agree with you - use as much English as possible. Of course, you have to make sure your sts understand you, but there are many ways to check that. The more you let them skip English, the less their conversational skills will improve. |
22 Aug 2009
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Lana.
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Of course, I agree with you, otherwise what �s the point of an English class? They speak Dutch outside the classroom anyway.
There are many ways as Anita said to check whether they understand.
In my class we speak English, students occasionally ask each other questions in their tongue but only to clarify/confirm a translation or a grammar point. Thank God, recently we �ve been having a good mixture of nationalities, so it �s really lovely to see a Spanish and a Brazilian/Mauritian person having a conversation in English, boys tease each other and make jokes - in English! - girls are more studious, but you get my point. However, I did go through a situation when I had 90% of the same nationality in the classroom, and still it never happened that I would expect an answer in their language.
So - you are absolutely right sea camel, keep up the good work. |
22 Aug 2009
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**********
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Hi, Kristien! Nice to see you! How are you doing?
35 ys teaching English here, been through 3 different methodologies - structuralism, functionalism (didn �t work with our ss), communicative approach, this is what I make of it: French and German grammar are much more difficult than English; if you can endure German (I had to endure Latin as well!!!), you �ll hopefully survive.
Back to the point: what �s the purpose of translating, except for professional reasons, such as becoming a translator and dealing with contrastive issues?
Is this some kind of returning to grammar-translation methodology?!? That was before World War II !We �ve got to prepare new generations for global village, right? So, everyting in English, including classroom talk:
Can I go to the toilet, please?!?
Are you in real trouble? Another 10 minutes, maybe?
OOOOOK! Next time try to remember before classes, will you?
OK, thanks!
Both during structuralism & functionalism times: NO mother language in classroom. Not a single sigh!
but then, you point at yourself:
I �m Idalina, I �m your teacher!
Yes! I �ve got it!!! Your name is Idalina and you have got a blue sweater! (in Portuguese, - besides, blue goes well with brunettes)
So, kind of... blending here, which means:
Brief explanations about really difficult issues (contrastive grammar, mostly, almost exclusively), such as comparing French and Portuguese to English: possessive case, present simple, simple past (to beginners) and such.
German (haben Sie?)and French (Avez vous?) are not as much troublesome with questions as Portuguese (no inverted subject in Port), I just cross my arms up when I come to questions and the class gets what I mean.
Worksheets and other materials: NO mother language!
As for being absolutely sure they understand the text, there are plenty of strategies to adopt, from scan to intensive reading. (same nomenclature, there?)
On the other hand, student-teacher relationship is much about negotiation: they try to negotiate in mother language, it�s up to us to be sweetietough (me: NOOOOO Portuguese, NOOOO, OK?!) in English, I guess.
Have a good day!
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22 Aug 2009
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sea camel
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Thanks you very much, my dear friends! I really appreciated your replies.
Many greetings and hugs from Belgium!
Kristien |
22 Aug 2009
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joy2bill
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My answer to my students is that we can do everything in the target language that we can do in our mother languge. So if you are teaching French use French, if teaching English use English.
There is nothing like being in a situation you don �t understand to force you to use the target language.
To use Nikadixon �s example, if they need to go to the toilet they will learn the expression, "may I go to the bathroom, please" very, very quickly or they must just suffer the consequences.
I can order coffee in many different languages because I had no choice when I was travelling.
Of course it is easier to use the mother tongue but it certainly does not help our students.
I teach a number of students from variious Asian countries whose knowledge of grammar rules far exceeds mine (and I am a native speaker) but cannot string more than two words together when speaking. So use the target langauge for everything. Don �t stress if the constructions are simple.
Call it "toughlove" if you like.
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22 Aug 2009
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**********
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Right, Bill2joy, but then, our British Council trainers would tell us here:
Pleeaase, not may I, sounds like begging... Can I? instead.
And we would say: OK,Sir!
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22 Aug 2009
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manonski (f)
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I agree that English must be taught in English. Beside there are other ways to check if a student understood a text beside having them answer questions. If your colleagues are that worried that sentences are going to be copied, they can do tasks such as comparing, classifying, having a group discussion, etc.
For most of our students English class is the only place where they �ll here English, why waste that precious time we have with them by letting them use mother tongue? I �ll never understand.
I teach ESL from grade 1 to grade 6 (6 to 12 years old) and from the moment they step in my class, it �s in English. If they have an emergency, they can take me in the corridor. |
22 Aug 2009
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Tere-arg
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I very seldom check comprehension by making questions as at those levels as they find it easier and a bit boring.
Retelling is more useful. You check comprehension and they also practice structures, vocabulary and fluency.
Sometimes I make them retell what they have read, others what a partner has and others, when the test is long, I made them retell in turns. I let each of them say one or two sentences or stop them in the middle of one so the other has to continue.
When somebody makes a mistake changing the story, the others are so hooked that they make the correction and everybody enjoys it.
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22 Aug 2009
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**********
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Do you mean, Tere, that your tests don �t have comprehension qs/ex? |
22 Aug 2009
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Tere-arg
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I was speaking about spoken practice not written.
I did not understand the post was only about written testing.
Of course, in written they have questions, T/F exercises ..... -all in English.
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22 Aug 2009
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