The Context of Language Teaching

8/3/2019 The Context of Language Teaching

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English as a mother tongue.

English as a second language.

English as a Foreign language.

The language of the worlds written

information.

A lingua franca


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Languages policies and goals

They are made at the highest level of nationaland educational planning.

They may specify a) the aims or goals that serve

as justifications for the teaching of English; b)the circumstances under which English will betaught.

Examples of educational aims:

1. for appreciation of foreign cultures.

2. for reasons of higher education.3. for scientific and technological advancement.

4. for international commerce, trade, andcommunication.


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There are a number of facilities available for theimplementation of language policies:

1. Ministeries of education: these are responsiblefor turning language policies into curriculumplan.

2. Curriculum development units and centers:these turn curriculum plans into curriculumcontent and courses.

3. Schools and educational institutions: these areresponsible for teaching curriculum content.

4. The Media: these may assist in the reception ofpolicies, and provide auxiliary learningsupport.


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5. Educational research institutions: these evaluate the degree towhich policies are effective and are being successfullyimplemented.

6. Teacher training institutions: these prepare teachers to teach thecurriculum

7. Textbook boreau: these prepare the necessary textbooks andsupport materials.

8. Testing and examination centers: these develop and sometimesadminister test and examinations based on the curriculum.

9. Translation bureaus: these provide specialized services forgovernment and the private sector.

10. Foreign cultural organizations: Organizations such as the BritishCounsil of the American Agency for International Developmentassist ministeries of education, schools, teacher traininginstitutions, and textbook boreaus in implementing languagepolicies.


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Language policy thus specifies the aims

that a government or planning body sets

for its educational system with respect

to the role of languages in theeducational system. So. How these aims

are realized is the domain of what is

known as curriculum development.


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Curriculum development in langauge

teaching is concerned with the following

processes and activities

1. Determine the needs of a group of leanershave for English instruction.

2. Developing activities for a language course

that will meet those needs

3. Selecting teaching and learning activitiesand experiences that will enable these

needs to be realized.

4. Evaluating the outcome.


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The goals of the needs-analysis phase of curriculumplanning are to determine what a particular group oflearners expect to use English for and what theirpresent level of competence is.

Needs analysis procedures may involve

1. interviews with foreign students already in theuniversity to determine perceptions of their majorlanguage difficulties,

2. interviews with lecturers and instructors,observation of students in classes to see how well

they are able to carry out the assignments,3. examination of their lecture notes, essays, and so

on, to determine their difficulties,

4. as well as tests to determine the students level ofproficiency in reading, writing, and note taking.


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The aims of a needs analysis are thus to

determine the type of situations in which

the learner will be using English, the task

and activities they are expected to carry outor to take part in in English and their existing

language skills and abilities.


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The needs analysis enables goals to be set.

They must be realistic in the terms of the

setting and the circumstances in which the

program will be implemented, and relevantin terms of the language skills the learner

will be expected to acquire.


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There are certain questions that help to determinethe parameters within a language course operates:

1. What facilities are avalible?

2. Who will the teacher be and what is their degreeof training and competence?

3. Who is responsible for implementing andmonitoring change?

4. How much time is available?

5. What are the limitations of the existing program?

By examining the needs of the learner , generalgoals are turned into a more specific descriptionof what the language program should be set out toachieve.


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Objectives specify precisely what the learner should beable to do after a unit or period of instruction (unitor course) and they serve to present the aim of thecourse in a form that can be taught, observed and

tested. Whereas the aim of the course in spokenEnglish might be described simply as to teach basicconversational skills. Objectives would specifyprecisely what is meant by basic conversational skills.These might include:

Ability to use vocabulary of 2000 words commonlyoccurring in conversation

Ability to give basic information and ask simplequestions about topics concerned with family life,personal identification, place of work, place ofresidence, employment, hobbies, etc.


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Objectives define the ends that thecurriculum is designed to bring about, thatis, the changes in knowledge and ability thatthe curriculum is expected to acomplish inlearners. Subsequents phases are concernedwith planning the means by which theobjectives can be achieved.

Syllabus design is the process by which

content is selected for a course ofinstruction in language teaching. Generally,a syllabus presents a particular view of whatis needed to attain an objective.


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It refers to the system of methods

(procedures and activities) that will be used

to teach the content of the syllabus.

The techniques, classroom activities, andtasks that forms the methodology of

teaching different language skills should be

designed by the teacher and should be

perceived by the learner as a means towardthe ends, not merely as ends in themselves.


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1. Monitors the teaching process in order to

ensure that the system works.

2. Determines which phases of the system

need adjustment when problems are

detected.


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Evaluation is concerned not only with the productor results of language teaching, but also with the

processes by which language learning is

accomplished. Its procedures include:

1. Analysis of the system through which the program isdelivered, to determine if it represents the optimal

structuring of time, resources, learners, teachers,

and materials.

2. Analysis of the goals and objectives of the program

to see if they are relevant and attainable.

3. Evaluation of the results of the program to see if

the level of performance attained are compatible

with the program objective.


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4. Evaluation of results obtained to ascertain if

these were achieved as a result of the

program, or despite it.

5. Analysis of the process by which theprogram is implemented.


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Sociocultural factors: Sign of elitism

Normal and inevitable

Modernism and technological sophistication Teaching and learning styles: Active verbal mode vs. Passive verbal mode

Learnng styles as route memorization.

Learner factors: Personal goals and motivation

determine the criteria learners use to evaluatethe relevance of the course, and consequentlythe amount of effort they are going to put in.


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Methodology is concerned with developing

and validating exercises and teaching

activities by assessing the effect they have

on the development of specific linguisticskills and abilities.

Method indicates the procedures involved to

accomplish the goal. It is a way of doing

something, especially a systematic way; itimplies an orderly logical arrangement.


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Degree of preparation of teachers.

Validating of existing curriculum and testing

procedures

Charateristics of the students population.

Software and materials

Coordination of resources

Testing and evaluating procedures


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METHOD: APPROACH: defines those assumptions, beliefs and

theories about the nature of language and the natureof language learning that operate as axiomaticconstructs or reference points and provide atheoretical foundation for what language teachers

ultimately do with learners in the classroom.

DESIGN: specifies the relationship of theories oflanguage and learning to both the form and functionof instructional materials and activities ininstructional settings.

PROCEDURE: comprises the classroomtechniques and practices that are consequences ofparticular approaches and designs.


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Instructional materials types and functions

Learner roles in the system

Teacher roles in the system

The content of instruction


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The focus is the moment-to-mment

techniques, practices and activities that

operate in teaching and learning according to

a particular method.


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Documents

The Context of Language Teaching