Teaching English methods must be modern and realistic<\/p>\n
Simon Marcus Gower, Executive Principal, High\/Scope Indonesia, Jakarta<\/p>\n
There have been numerous arguments about what are the best
\nmethods and materials for learning English. Some claim that
\ntextbook examples written by experts that simplify the language
\nand learning are the best source of material.<\/p>\n
This is perhaps likely to be true when learners are at lower
\nlevels but as learners make progress it is necessary for their
\nmaterials to progress too and this means that the materials they
\nuse should be more realistic and up-to-date.<\/p>\n
Simplification of materials creates an artificial condition in
\nwhich the reality of the language is altered and important
\ncontext may be lost. Successful language learning largely depends
\non contextual clues. These help the learner to understand what is
\neither said or written by connecting the words or phrases that
\ncombine to constitute the meaning of the message.<\/p>\n
Sadly, too often the essence of meaningful communication can
\nbe lost in teaching examples and this is equally true in
\nIndonesia as it is in any other country in which English is being
\nlearnt. Theorists propose that learning is most successful when
\nthe material to be learnt is reduced into manageable chunks that
\nthe learners may easily digest. However, there is always the
\ndanger that this process of simplification actually makes the
\nlearning strangely more difficult.<\/p>\n
The language often just does not work or will not conform to
\nteachers' desires to neatly place it into easy chunks for the
\nlearners to consume. Also, the risk of artifice resulting from
\nsimplification jeopardizes one of the most critical aspects of
\nlanguage learning -- namely that it is a practical tool. If the
\nlanguage learning is allowed to deteriorate to the point where it
\nno longer resembles or at least reasonably simulates reality,
\nthen its practical value is lost and ultimately it is no longer
\nreally useful to learners.<\/p>\n
It is for these reasons that teachers of English in Indonesia
\nshould aim to maximize the authenticity of the language that they
\nlead their students towards. This means keeping current and
\nup-to-date with the way the language is used. That is -- Modern
\nEnglish and its actual usage and this, in turn, means
\ncapitalizing on authentic material that can help keep the
\nlanguage learning real and relevant.<\/p>\n
Keeping up-to-date and aware of Modern English is important.
\nEven where a learner may have been led to a good knowledge of the
\nlanguage real deficiencies may still exist. The communicative
\nability of the learner may be undermined if care and attention
\nhas not been paid to the way the language is now.<\/p>\n
Take the example of an accomplished and intelligent young
\nIndonesian lady who had received a good and quite formal
\neducation in Europe. Her tutors had given her a quite classical
\neducation that meant that she possessed an excellent appreciation
\nof classical European literature. But this also meant that she
\nhad developed a very stiff, formal and rather old-fashioned model
\nof the English language.<\/p>\n
Consequently, even when meeting close friends she remained,
\nseemingly, distant and coldly formal. A typical quite antiquated
\ngreeting from her would be something like "Good morning, Peter,
\nand how are you today? Isn't it a simply wonderful morning?"
\nThough well intentioned and perfectly polite, such a greeting
\nwould probably be more familiar to Victorian England than the
\ntwenty-first century -- when and where English is much less
\nformalized and has become the language of international
\ncommunication. The recipient of this greeting wore a quite
\npuzzled look on his face.<\/p>\n
Because her teachers had chosen not to be current with their
\nteaching of the language she had been equipped with a form of the
\nlanguage that was really outmoded. Even her friends would be
\nperplexed, amused and even bemused by her word choice and the
\nconsequent way in which she expressed herself and communicated
\nwith them.<\/p>\n
The use of authentic materials is, then, important in
\nequipping the learners with knowledge and skill they can use now.
\nThe definition of authentic material can be broad but typically
\nit is thought of as material that is produced in the language not
\nspecifically or premeditatedly prepared for language learning. In
\nthis sense it is bound to prove more challenging to the learners
\nbut importantly it retains those real and natural contextual
\nclues that will both help the learners and advance their ability
\nto recognize structures in the language.<\/p>\n
In Indonesia printed authentic material may not really be in
\nabundance in the English language but there are a number of
\nsources that may be called upon by teachers. This newspaper, The
\nJakarta Post, as an English language daily is useful, as are
\ninternational magazines such as Newsweek, Time and the Economist.
\nAlso, there are computer-based sources -- the Internet brings a
\nlarge quantity of material from which appropriate selections may
\nbe made.<\/p>\n
But authentic material should not only be thought of as being
\non the printed page or text-based. Authentic listening material
\nis also a useful learning aid and may prove very important. A
\nrecording of a conversation may provide something very useful and
\nlargely under-examined in language learning -- namely spontaneous
\nspeech production.<\/p>\n
Conversation and speech generally requires real-time
\nprocessing. Listening is generally more difficult than reading.
\nLearners have to think fast and grasp meaning on the spur of the
\nmoment. They cannot go back or turn the pages back to recheck
\ntheir understanding. For these reasons getting learners either
\ninvolved in or listening to real-time speech and conversation
\ncreates real material and real exposure to the language.<\/p>\n
With this kind of real exposure learners may develop
\nstrategies that help in their developing language. These may
\ninclude listening for keywords, picking up the gist of the
\nconversation and noticing tone of voice, intonation and rhythm
\nthat will all help to fill in the gaps where there may be any
\nlack of understanding.<\/p>\n
Making the learning of the language real has numerous benefits
\nand high amongst these is the fact that a more natural and
\nrealistic model of the language is being recognized and pursued.
\nOften the language is imprecise or faltering, it is not always
\nstrictly grammatically correct; there are many hesitations,
\nchanges of direction, improvisations and fillers.<\/p>\n
Giving learners opportunities to become aware of and attuned
\nto these facets, and even linguistic idiosyncrasies, of English
\nhelps them to be more successful in their receipt and production
\nof communications. This realistic and hence immediately useful
\nlearning should be the goal of all teachers. Then teachers and
\nlearners alike may really be achieving communicative competence.<\/p>\n
The opinions expressed above are personal.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/teaching-english-methods-must-be-modern-and-realistic-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }