Exploring conceptions of teachers and teaching

Students need comfortable learning environment?. The following task will enable you to focus on different major trends of language teaching and learning fads in the historya. Directions:

LANGUAGE TEACHING

METHODOLOGY 1

EXPLORING COMMONLY HELD CONCEPTIONS

OF TEACHERS AND TEACHING

Directions: Answer the following questions: 1- Agree 2 – No idea 3 - Disgree

1 What is the goal of teaching and learning a language?

a be able to master grammar rules and vocabulary of the target language 1 2 3

b be able to think in the target language 1 2 3

c be able to use the target language automatically without stopping to think 1 2 3

d be able to use the target language for self-expression 1 2 3

e be able to get communication through 1 2 3

f Other:

2 What are the roles of the teacher and students?

d technician – explorer of the language 1 2 3

e Other:

3 What should the teaching and learning process involve?

b rote learning (learning by heart) 1 2 3

c use of realia, pictures, pantomime 1 2 3

f Other:

4 What kind of interactions in class should be fostered?

a one way interaction: teacher > students 1 2 3

b one way interaction: students > teacher 1 2 3

c two way interaction: teacher < > students 1 2 3

d two way interaction: student < > students 1 2 3

e Other:

5 How should students’ feeling be dealt with?

a Students should be helped to overcome the feeling of interfering 1 2 3

b Students need comfortable learning environment 1 2 3

c Learning should be enjoyable and fun 1 2 3

d Other:

7 What areas of language/ skills should be emphasized?

h Other:

8 What is the role of students’ native language?

a It should be mostly used in class to explain the target language 1 2 3

b It should not be used completely in class 1 2 3

c Other:

9 How is evaluation accomplished?

a Written tests on grammar and vocabulary 1 2 3

c Writing a paragraph about something studied 1 2 3

d Tests that focus on one point of the language one time 1 2 3

e Other:

10 How should the teacher respond to student errors?

a Teachers correct all student errors 1 2 3

b Teachers get students to self-correct whenever possible 1 2 3

c Errors should be tolerant 1 2 3

d Other:

TASK 1

Directions: Read each of the following statements:

1 Teachers teach the way they were taught.

2 There is a “right” and a “wrong” way of teaching.

3 Teachers learn to teach by teaching.

4 More experienced teachers are better teachers.

5 Teachers are born, not made.

In a group, discuss why you agree or disagree with each statement Speculate on why people tend to believe these statements

(Adapted from http://llt.msu.edu/vol6num3/review3/figure3.gif)

TASK 2

TASK 2

Purpose: What do we mean by the term method by which we tend to characterize history? How do

methods reflect various trends of disciplinary thought? The following task will enable you to focus on different major trends of language teaching and learning fads in the history

Directions: Read each of the following statements:

Through the study of the grammar of the target language, students can speak and write their native language better.

Studying a foreign language provides students with good mental exercises which helps develop their mind better.

To learn a foreign language, students need to be taught to think directly in the target language.

To be able to communicate in the target language, students need to learn to use it

automatically without stopping to think.

Students should be independent from teacher, thus, develop their inner criteria for correctness Teacher should provide adequate conditions for students to enhance their confidence and to accelerate their process of learning a foreign language.

In order to use the target language communicatively, students need to take more responsibility for their learning.

The importance of learning a foreign language is having students enjoy their experience in learning it; therefore, stress should be reduced and students’ persistence should be encouraged Learning a language means learning to use it appropriately in a given social context.

Students should be able to manage the process of negotiating meaning during communicative process.

(Cited from Diane Larsen-Freeman, 1986.)

a In a group, discuss which of the listed statements are closely related to your learning situations

in different stages of your learning English

b Think of some possible reasons for the application of those principles

THE GRAMMAR TRANSLATION METHOD

THE DIRECT METHOD

THE AUDIO-LINGUAL METHOD

THE SILENT WAY

SUGGESTOPEDIA

COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE LEARNING

THE TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE METHOD