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Opinion About The Statement of The Mismatch Between Teachers

The document discusses effective strategies for teachers of second languages. It recommends that teachers immerse students in the target language as much as possible to increase confidence and vocabulary. Teachers should get to know their students' backgrounds and make language and culture come alive through activities, competitions, and guest speakers. While communication is important, grammar provides the foundation for building language skills, so teachers should balance grammar instruction with interactive lessons. Hands-on tasks keep students engaged when learning in a fun, supportive environment.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
130 views6 pages

Opinion About The Statement of The Mismatch Between Teachers

The document discusses effective strategies for teachers of second languages. It recommends that teachers immerse students in the target language as much as possible to increase confidence and vocabulary. Teachers should get to know their students' backgrounds and make language and culture come alive through activities, competitions, and guest speakers. While communication is important, grammar provides the foundation for building language skills, so teachers should balance grammar instruction with interactive lessons. Hands-on tasks keep students engaged when learning in a fun, supportive environment.

Uploaded by

kia
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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OPINION ABOUT THE STATEMENT OF THE MISMATCH BETWEEN TEACHERS’

BELIEFS AND CURRICULUM THAT HAS AN IMPACT IN THE POOR


COMMUNICATIONAL SKILLS IN ENGLISH AMONG STUDENTS.

I am strongly agree with the statement of mismatch between teachers’ beliefs and
curriculum that has an impact in the poor communication in English among students.
Teachers’ belief and curriculum have different goals that they want to accomplish. If
both teachers and curriculum share more differences than similarities in their beliefs,
the learning and teaching environment would be more difficult and laborious.
Moreover, this mismatch gives many negative effects and disadvantages to
teachers’ pedagogical practise in the classroom that effect the way students can
convey his or her English communication skills to others. This can be proved by the
amount of the 60,000 Malaysian graduates that were failed to be employed because
they have poor English Language proficiency and poor oral communication skills in
English. This is because the good communication skills are necessary in all walks of
life. The lack of effective communication skills can causes negative impact on the
personal as well as professional life of a person because a good communication skills
are a prerequisite for professionals.
Furthermore, the mismatch between teachers’ and curriculum gives an impact in
the communicational skills in English among student because this mismatch hinders
teachers from applying what they believe in the classroom that is important to improve
communication skills in English among the students. Teachers failed to put their
pedagogical beliefs while teaching in a class. Curriculum asks teachers to prepare
students for grammar-biased entrance examination which is required students to
master based on textbooks. Teachers cannot avoid the demands of the exam although
they have their own teaching’s technique and beliefs. This is because teachers have
no choice but follow the demands of the examination.
In addition, the discrepancy between teachers’ beliefs and curriculum could lead
to frustrations among the students. Students confuse which way they must follow
either the curriculum’s flow or their teachers’ beliefs. Those differences will decrease
students’ interest and influences their bad attitude towards English language. Their
bad attitude will affect their proficiency in English communication skills. This will
increase the amount of students that have poor oral communication skills in English.
HOW TO BE AN EFFECTIVE TEACHER BASED ON YOUR EXPERIENCES AS A
SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNER

A teacher is like a candle – it consumes itself to light the way for others. Teachers
have the very important responsibility of shaping the lives of young, impressionable
children. With this responsibility comes great pride and joy. Therefore all teachers
should strive for what can be considered to be a "good teacher." A good teacher can
be defined as someone who always pushes students to want to do their best while at
the same time trying to make learning interesting as well as creative. Thus, to be an
effective teacher needs a lot of hard works and patience.

First of all, in order to be a good teacher we must understand our students and get
know your get to know your students better

Enhance our understanding of who our students are, their backgrounds and
educational experiences. Try to know whether majority of your students come
from families that practice English at home or families that have limited
knowledge of English. If you know them well, it may provide you with a better
understanding of their educational needs and ways to improve their language.

• Bring language and culture alive in the classroom 

Grammar and communication are a crucial part of language and so is culture - they
need each other. Grammar is the foundation for building language skills and
communication is for the students to be able to practice the language they are learning
while exposing cultural differences can spark an interest in your students and
encourage them to learn independently. Teach your students about the countries
where English is spoken as well as the language itself. Show them how lucky they will
be if they can manage to speak fluent English and be a part of a wide community
where people speak the same language as they do. Tell them that English is not only
about doing practices, writing essays; English can also be about watching English
movies, listening to English songs and finding friends from all around the globe that
speaks English too.

Enhance your imagination 


A teacher who is imaginative can do wonders in class. Their new and fresh ideas can
make students to participate actively in class. Albert Einsten even said that imagination
is more important than knowledge. Being a teacher that is able to bring out new and
creative ways to teach students can bring out a whole new lesson full of fun but at the
same time brings knowledge. Education should do more than simply giving information
- it should develop skills such as imagination that evolve our knowledge and move us
forward as a learner and teacher. 

How can teachers bring modern languages to life in the classroom? Davinia


Hardwick, formerly a British Council English language assistant and now Head
of French at a UK school, gives us her tips.

Use the target language in lessons

The more you expose your students to the target language, the better. Occasionally,
speaking English may be necessary, but a lot of the time, it is not. Immersing your
students in the target language helps them use it more independently and this can
lead to increased confidence and better vocabulary.

Students enjoy listening to ‘real people’ speaking the target language, so get your
colleagues involved. If a teacher with some knowledge of the target language comes
into your classroom, involve them in the immersive experience. If they are struggling,
the students can help them improve their language skills. If they already speak to a
high level, it shows the communicative value of language skills. Encourage
students and staff to use the language, even if they make mistakes, and emphasise
that communication is the key.

Language assistants are able to provide support to teachers, particularly those who


haven’t spoken the language at a native-speaker level. They provide an authentic
teaching resource and listening experience for students. Interactions between the
language assistant and the class teacher inject linguistic spontaneity into the
classroom. Similarly, you could invite a fluent speaker into the classroom, perhaps a
friend or a colleague from another school, as a guest. Anything that shows the target
language being used in practical situations will emphasise the value of the language
as a communicative tool. Use lots of different tools to aid the natural use of language
in the classroom as well, such as commands, instructions, and greetings.

Encourage students to adopt a hands-on approach to language learning

Students need to be involved in tasks they find interesting in an environment where


active and successful learning is encouraged. Students make the most
progress when they are enjoying themselves. Competitions and quizzes keep
motivation levels high, and rewards for communicating in the target language in the
various skill areas offer chances for constant self-improvement. The smallest of
tasks, such as matching pictures to words or phrases, or even word searches, can
be turned into competitions – against the clock, first to finish, fastest class, etc.

When I was a language assistant in Canada, I discovered that rewards and prizes
were very effective motivators, so I brought pens and stickers from home. I also used
photos and props to teach my students about life in the UK and had reward and
progress charts on my classroom walls. At university, I was a keen hockey player so
I took my stick and ball into my school in La Beauce and my students had a go at
dribbling around the classroom.

Some of their favourite lessons were ones like running dictation. They worked in
pairs: one student would read a piece of text that I had taped to the wall at one end
of the classroom, then run back and repeat it to their partner who would write it
down. They really enjoyed active tasks. Students also liked activities such as 'Who
am I?’ where each student has a post-it note with the name of a famous person on it
on his or her forehead. Students walk around the classroom and can only ask
questions which require a yes or no answer, such as ‘Am I a man?’. Competitions to
see who can guess the most famous names in a certain amount of time always work
well.

As I’m keen on sports, my Québec students would tell me about different sports that
are popular in Canada. They encouraged me to learn to snowboard and skate, which
provided an opportunity for cultural, as well as linguistic, exchange.

Never forget, grammar is the foundation for building language skills

Communication is a crucial part of language and so is grammar; they need each


other. Effective lessons strike this balance between the two so that students can
learn, enjoy and make progress in their target language.

Grammar is the foundation for building language skills. Learning grammar enables
students to speak and write more accurately, confidently and fluently. I have found
that asking students to explain grammar rules to each other and to the rest of the
class gives them more confidence. It also indicates to the teacher whether the
grammar needs clarifying or explaining. By teaching each other, they also
consolidate their own knowledge or discover holes that need filling.

Do your students have a particular way of remembering certain grammar rules?


Include games, activities and video clips that use the grammar points you are
teaching.

Teaching in the UK, I subscribe to Linguascope, an interactive language teaching


and learning website which students really enjoy. I also use YouTube for clips
and TaskMagic for games. Discussions with colleagues often bring about some of
the best ideas.
Language is cumulative and must be consolidated outside the classroom

The more you learn, use and practise the language, the more accurate and fluent
you become. Repetition and practice are essential to many skills, and this is
especially true when learning a language. In order to consolidate classroom learning,
you must repeat and revisit grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation work regularly
with your students. Activities such as singing songs, filling in the missing words and
memory games where they are asked to match words and pictures can be helpful.
Use repetition to practise the language, as students need to hear it to practise
pronunciation.

As language learning is cumulative, it must be consolidated outside the classroom.


This can be done as homework by setting regular vocabulary tests that require
revision outside of school time, and also in school clubs. Give your students some
language to practise at home so they take something away from each lesson. Lots of
students enjoy teaching their parents what they have learned in their language
lessons. Having taught English as a second language and now teaching French in a
UK school, I have become more aware of the need to repeat and revisit grammar
and vocabulary tasks.

As a revision game, I play 'Je vais nominer ...' ('I will nominate...') My students love
this game. At the end of a lesson, two to three minutes before they leave, I start this
game to recap what we did in the lesson. Nominate a student to start, for example:
'Je vais nominer Max'. Then, 'Max, comment dit-on ‘five’ en français?’ ('Max, how do
you say 'five' in French?). If the student answers correctly, they can nominate
someone else. The objective is to not be the student speaking when the bell goes!
It's great for revision of a lesson, speaking practice, confidence and quick thinking!
'Throwing Words' is another good starter or end-of-lesson activity for repetition of
vocabulary. Say a word or write it on the board and throw a soft ball to one of your
students. The word they say must begin with the last letter of your word. They throw
the ball to someone else, and so on. The possibilities for this game are endless.
Have a competition, set a time limit, have teams, include categories, and so on.

Bring language and culture alive in the classroom

Highlighting cultural as well as linguistic differences is an essential part of language-


learning. It can spark your students’ interest and encourage independent learning.
Teach your students about the countries where the target language is spoken, as
well as the language itself. Have your students seen any French television
programmes or films? What do they already know about the cultures of the countries
where the target language is spoken? What else do they want to learn?

Bringing the language and culture of the countries where the target language is
spoken into the classroom means your students become more motivated to learn.
Organising email pen pal correspondence offers a way for students to learn about
their peers abroad. The practical challenge of writing to them and understanding
their replies will provide an added incentive to further their language skills. Cultural
trips to the cinema or to a country where the target language is spoken show
students that the target language is spoken in the real world and has practical uses.

Language clubs can also provide an informal setting to practise speaking and
understanding the target language, do homework or discuss the culture of the
countries where the target language is spoken.

When I worked as a language assistant in Canada, I taught my students about the


Welsh language and culture and ran competitions. A successful and fun competition
was to see who could best pronounce the longest name in Wales. I introduced this
challenge early on in my assistantship and finished up with the results when I left. I
felt that my position as a young native speaker helped motivate my students to
speak English. On a day-to-day level, I brought an up-to-date look at the language
and culture in what was a very fulfilling and rewarding 12 months of language
teaching and learning, discovery and fulfilment.

Davinia Hardwick worked as a British Council English language assistant in Québec,


Canada, in 2000-2001. She was Modern Foreign Languages Teacher of the Year,
2014. She is now Head of French at Llandrindod High School and also teaches
Welsh.

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