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ESL forum >
Techniques and methods in Language Teaching > need your suggestion
need your suggestion
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zahra.r
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need your suggestion
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dear colleague,
i would like to know your opinions about teaching in english classes.
i am teaching to kids and as they are learning english as EFL so if i speak english with them during the class even though they won �t understand all the words is good or speaking in their own language is also ok?
because some teachers belive that we should just speak english during the class even they don �t understand what we are trying to say!
i will be glad you help me out for this matter :)
thanks for your care and consideration :) |
26 Oct 2014
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[email protected]
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I believe you should maintain spoken English in your classes .You can use body language ,gestures ,relia to bring ideas close to their minds or checking understanding through yes /no questions to check on their understanding .Consequently ,they will get used to it by time .I have tried it several times and it worked |
26 Oct 2014
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cunliffe
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In England, when teaching a modern foreign language, teachers are expected to teach mainly in the target language. In EAL classes, we think that using their own language is helpful. Perverse. My opinion is that a bit of their own language provides reassurance and ensures they know what the task is. |
26 Oct 2014
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aydin1362
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hello,
can I ask how old are your students are and where you teach? |
26 Oct 2014
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aydin1362
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how old your students are
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26 Oct 2014
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karagozian
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I agree with Cunliffe Lynne. Let �s not be TOO dictatorial. It also depends on level and learning capacities. I used to be (try to be) 100% English but experience. taught me that it is sometimes impossible and unnatural. |
27 Oct 2014
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cunliffe
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I agree, Monique - it �s quite unnatural to maintain L2 when a quick word in L1 can sort the situation. I remember when I was a French teacher (to English kids) a while back and we were instructed to use no English. It was plain silly as well as nigh impossible. The poor kids would be sitting there uncomprehending and it turned the lesson into a trial rather than an enjoyable, fun experience. I don �t think anybody tries to do it nowadays. At the moment, I am teaching EAL to Slovakian kids and I have a Slovakian support assistant in with me. I really need that bilingual support! God help me if she leaves. |
27 Oct 2014
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nasreddine Sarsar
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Well, using the STUDENTS � mother tongue in our instruction should never be frowned upon. It �s a tool - among many other tools - that an EFL/ESL teacher can use to boost his/her students � understanding of some new concepts. We should understand that translation, especially at an early stage, is a common phenomenon. When we learn a new language, especially for communicative purposes, we tend to get a bilingual dictionary and start learning some new words and phrases we deem useful to communicate with people speaking the target language. Accordingly, teachers should try to work with this innate tendency rather than against it. Research into second language learning has shown that L1 is an important resource in teaching L2 (Cook 2001). When we teach our students a second language, we should not devalue their mother tongue. By preventing them from using L1 at all costs, we are making them feel that their mother tongue is inferior to the target language. Personally, I have experienced this in the UAE. Students started questioning the real value of learning a language whose instructor has "negative feelings about their L1)! Learning a new language should enrich the students � lives. It is a plus that should not devaluate their language and cultural heritage. Using the mother tongue actually saves a lot of time that can be used for more useful activities. More often than not, the instructions to the activity are complicated and students do not understand what is required from them, there is no harm in giving the instructions in their mother tongue, just to save time. Engaging the students in a learning activity is more important than spending a big portion of time explaining the instructions in English. This will prevent frustration for both teachers and students. As ESL teachers, we need to rethink our practices and review our philosophies of teaching so that it suits the learning situation.
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27 Oct 2014
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Peter Hardy
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Sarsar is quite right. In Australia they tried to teach English to Aboriginal children by forbidding them to use their L1. It didn �t work. When I started in my current position, the first thing I did was to learn basic words in Hazaragi (the Afghan version of Farsi or Persian). My students appreciated that very much, and that in turn made them make more efforts in learning English. Now I have a variety of languages in class (Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Bengali, Burmese, Hazaragi, Arabic, Swahili and whatever else). That makes it hard to use anything but English. My body language, and of course the picture WS from this site, are very helpful. On top of that I give my SS two lists: the 1000 most used sentences and 1500 most used words, in both English and their language. And needless to say I �m quite proud that they learn to speak basic English within three to six months. In short, as suggested above, use all tools available. After all, learning a language starts with self esteem, and not with put-downs. Cheers, Peter |
27 Oct 2014
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manonski (f)
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The curriculum here says that ESL should be taught in English. I teach elementary (grade 1 to 6) and I start in English on the first class. Like others say, gestures, posters, vocabulary words are very important. Since I have my own room, I take the time to speak in L1 to my students before they enter the class. I give them an overview of what we will be doing during the time we will be together. It lowers anxiety for my weaker students. |
27 Oct 2014
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zahra.r
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Hi,
That was really lovely.
Thanks for your advice. It was very helpful and wise!
I will definitely consider all these fantastic suggestions :)
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27 Oct 2014
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