English LANGUAGE LEARNING AND ACQUISITION & LANGUAGE SKILLS & Teaching methods

 

Teaching methods

Hello friends

There are many methods of teaching languages. Some have fallen into relative obscurity and others are widely used; still others have a small following, but offer useful insights.Language teaching methods are dependent on and influenced by different theories of language and language learning. The history of language teaching puts forward different kinds of methods. The efficiency of a method depends upon a complex of factors which vary from place to place and situation to situation.

Direct Method, basic principles, advantages and disadvantages.

Direct method of teaching English means teaching English directly using target language. A teacher doesn't use the mother tongue in the class. Nor are the students allowed to use it. This method is totally in contrast of Translation Method. Direct method is a method of teaching a foreign language, especially a modern language through conversation, discussion and reading, in the language itself, without the use of pupil's language, without translation.

The teachers teach words by pointing to object or picture or by performing actions. But some experts don't consider it a method at all. According to them, it s a principle, system that operates through many methods.

the direct method, all teaching is done in the target language, translations are not allowed in class, and the focus lies heavily on speaking instead of grammar. This makes the direct method a very student-centered strategy that has gained popularity in recent years.
Students are supposed to learn the target language naturally and instinctively, which is why the direct method is also called the “natural approach.” Mistakes are corrected as they happen in class, and teachers reinforce the correct usage of the language with praise.

There are few methods of teaching of grammar:

1. Deductive Method

2. Inductive method

3. Inductive Deductive Method

4. Incidental Method

1. Deductive Method

The learners are supposed to memories the definition of noun.

• This method is not very effective as it is against the principles of teaching and students find it boring and dull

• In this method, grammar is taken as an independent subject and taught with the help of a grammar book.

• The teacher uses a grammar text book. He first tells his students rules or definitions and then explains those with the help of examples then he gives exercise and ask his pupils to apply the rules.

2• Inductive method

This is done while teaching of text book or detailed translation of the text book is carried on Grammatical implications are taught simultaneously.
• Through this method, practical uses of grammatical rules are elicited. But sometimes this method becomes time consuming and may divert the attention of the students.

• In Inductive method the teacher first presents or takes the example from the students then comes on theory of concept.

• This method implies teaching of grammar not by rules but by usage. Through continuous practice of using words while speaking, reading and writing, grammar can be taught and therefore learnt by students.

3. Inductive-Deductive Method

Through this method student they formulate rules with the help of examples. Some steps of this method are as follows.

This method of teaching grammar proves very successful and advantageous as it becomes practical, real and scientific. It follows all the maxims of teaching and pupils are not forced to cram the rules. This method also stimulates the power of thinking and reasoning.

Some shortcomings of this method are that it can be applied only to young learners. Moreover, this method is not complete in itself because sometimes students are unable to correlate examples with the topic.

• Students are asked to draw some conclusions.
• Then the teacher will give the rules and give new examples and ask her pupils to verify the rules.

• Students are given some examples of similar type.

• Students try to find out similarities by analyzing or observing these examples.

4. Incidental Method

Some disadvantages of this method are that it interferes with normal teaching Productive learning is less and sometimes creating or forming an incident related to a topic may be difficult for the teacher.This method helps students to correlate grammar with other related logical structures. Students gain a practical knowledge of grammatical rules.

• The learner learns to write with correct punctuation and correct language and spellings.

• With the knowledge of grammar, parts of speech etc. the child develops an effective writing style.

• Expression of feelings, emotions, frustrations in an impressive manner is possible only by knowledge of grammatical rules, syntax, vocabulary etc.

• Grammar is also helpful in increasing accuracy. Grammar frames the mind to habits of order and clearness and also to logic and rhetoric. So, grammar rules can help learners develop a habit of thinking logically and clearly.

• Grammar also helps in acquiring fluency in a particular language. The person will also learn how to organize and express the ideas in his mind without difficulty.

• Grammar helps in learning correct pronunciation.

• With good grammar spoken or written words gain their meaning and value.

• Knowledge of grammar improves skill of expression.

LANGUAGE LEARNING AND ACQUISITION

Language families -

About 1600 languages are spoken in India. There are 22 major languages in India, written in 13 different scripts, with over 720 dialects

Bilingualism and polyglots -

A person who can speak two languages is called bilingual.

A person who can speak five to ten languages called polyglot.

 The use of more than one or two languages increases cognitive and pedagogical efficiency.

Multilingualism -

A person who use many languages. 

The difference between polyglot and multilingualism is that a polyglot loves languages for their own sake and learns them for fun but a multilingual person speaks several languages due to external factors.

 For example a Tamil student speaks the different languages on his home but school language is different from the home language, or because there are many different language communities in close proximity and it is useful to be able to speak all of them.

Multilingualism is a resource, not a limitation.

It helps in the cognitive development of a child.

Language -

It is the expression of meaningful words. We use language to express our thought and it is a systematic arrangement.

According to ALLEN,” language is a means of communicating thoughts.”

English has 5 vowels on the basis of writing.

Based on sound:-

Language vowels consonant total

English 20 24 44

Hindi 10 33 43

Language Acquisition -

When children acquire language through a subconscious process during which they are unaware of grammatical rules, this process is called Language Acquisition.

For example when a child learns their first language in their home by mother, father, environments etc. 

This language is called first language, mother tongue, native language, natural language. It is a natural process. It is comes under informal situation.(means not planned 

Language Learning - 

Language learning is the process by which we learn the new language with the help of grammar rules and vocabulary. 

It is also called a second language, foreign language, target language. It is a conscious effort in informal situations.

Stages Of Language Acquisition:

1. Cooing (6 weeks)

2. Babbling(About 6 months)

3. One word stage (Around 1 year)

4. Two-word stage (Around 18 months)

5. Longer utterances(2-4 years)

Parts of languages:

Phonology: 

It is the study of sound patterns and their meanings.

Semantic:

When all the words in a sentence have a meaning, then it is known as a semantic sentence. Example: Ram goes to school.

Syntax: 

In this structure of a sentence is important. Means sentence should follow the grammar rules and subject, object, and verb should be at the correct place.

NOTE- Semantic and Syntax both refer to sentence. Semantic refers to the only meaning of a sentence but Syntax refers to the structure or rules of a sentence.

Morpheme:

It is the smallest unit of a word that provides a specific meaning to a string of letters. Example: Cat, Bat, etc.

Phoneme-

 It is the smallest unit of language. It is a unit of sound in speech.it does not have any meaning itself, but when you put phonemes together, they make words. Example: a, b, c, etc.

Ellipsis:

It is a punctuation mark consisting of three dots (…).ellipses is uses when we want to neglect a word, phrases, line, paragraph, etc.

Example: "After school, I went to her house, which was a few blocks away, and then came home."

"After school, I went to her house … and then came home."

We removed the words "which was a few blocks away" and replaced them with an ellipsis without changing the meaning of the original quote.

LANGUAGE SKILLS........

The four basic language skills are

1.Listening

2.Speaking

3.Reading

4.Writing 

The proper sequence in language learning is Listening-Speaking-Reading-Writing. In short LSRW. The four basic skills are categorized by two parameters: 

1. The mode of communication -

a) oral 

b) written  

2. The direction of communication-

a) Receptive--receiving the message

b) Productive--producing the message

Oral  Written

Receptive Listening Reading

Productive Speaking Writing

Listening Situations:

1.Interactive:- Interactive listening situations include face-to-face conversations and telephone calls, in which we are alternately listening and speaking and in which we have a chance to ask for clarification, repetition or slower speech from our conversation partner.

2.Non-interactive:- Some non-interactive listening situations are listening to the radio, TV, films, lectures or sermons. In such situations, we usually don't have the opportunity to ask for clarification, slower speech or repetition.

Listening Skills: -

listening is the first language skill that we acquire in our native language. It is known as a receptive skill or oral skill or passive skill because it requires us to use our ears and brains to comprehend language. Listening skill helps to understand the characteristics of language sound. Listening is a semantic(meaningful) aspect of language.

Speaking Skills:- 

Speaking is the second language skill that we acquire in our native language. It is known as a productive skill or oral skill or active skill because it requires us to use our vocal tract and our brains to correctly produce language through sound. Speaking is a phonetic(sound) aspect of language.

Reading Skill:- 

Reading is the third language skill that we acquire in our native language. It is known as a receptive skill or written skill or passive skill because it requires us to use our eyes and brains to comprehend the written language.Reading is a phonetic cum graphic aspect of language 

Reading can help build a vocabulary that helps listening comprehension at the later stages particularly

Reading can be classified in the following types

1. Silent Reading- focuses on concentration.

2. Aloud Reading- focuses on pronunciation.(best for beginners or child )

3. Intensive Reading- The learner focuses on every vocabulary and grammar to understand. It improves reading skills. It improves active vocabulary.[active vocabulary- that uses in real life often]

 4 Extensive Reading – Learner reads easy, enjoyable books to build their reading speed and fluency. Learner attention is on the meaning not on every text. It improves passive vocabulary.[passive vocabulary- that does not use in real life often]

Speaking Situations:-

1.Interactive:- It includes face-to-face conversations and telephone calls, in which we are alternately listening and speaking and in which we have a chance to ask for clarification, repetition or slower speech from our conversation partner.

2.Partially Interactive:- Some speaking situations are partially interactive, such as when giving a speech to a live audience, where the convention is that the audience does not interrupt the speech. The speaker nevertheless can see the audience and judge from the expressions on the faces and body language whether or not he or she is being understood

3. Non-interactive:- Some speaking situations may be totally non-interactive, such as when recording a speech for a radio broadcast

Writing Skill:- 

It is the fourth language skill that we acquire in our native language. 

It is known as a productive skill or written skill or active skill because it requires us to use our hands and our brains to correctly produce written symbols.

यदि हमारे द्वारा दी गई इस जानकारी से आपको कुछ सीखने को मिलता है तो आप इस पोस्ट को अपने दोस्तों तक सोशल मीडिया के माध्यम शेयर कर सकते हैं। 

धन्यवाद ।