Artikel:
RECOGNIZING SUCCESS IN TEACHING ENGLISH
| Judul: RECOGNIZING SUCCESS IN TEACHING ENGLISH Bahan ini cocok untuk Semua Sektor Pendidikan bagian BAHASA / LANGUAGES. Nama & E-mail (Penulis): IIN HERMIYANTO Saya Guru di SMP ANNISAA' Topik: english teaching Tanggal: 5th may 2008 RECOGNIZING SUCCESS IN TEACHING ENGLISH Many institutions and teachers have a reputation for real success in teaching English. Others have a poor reputation. For example, they say that they have learnt a lot of English at school. Others say that they have studied for three, four years or more, but learnt almost nothing. The main test in for real success in teaching and learning should be whether or not the learners are able to communicate at all in English. Can they understand simple instruction, letters, articles? Can they respond an interview? Can they use certain functional expressions in a conversation? Can they comprehend simple paragraphs? Can they ask for directions in the street? Can they express their opinion in a discussion? Can they write letters or reports? And, can they pass recognized Examinations in English, like KET, PET, IELTS, TOEIC, or TOEFL? We know success is not just being able to repeat memorizes sentences or complete grammar exercises, - but more than that, the learners should have ability to use English effectively in real communication situations. Success is not the same as getting 8, 9 or 10 in course tests - though it may indicate some progress Successful teachers and institutions where they teach may be different in many ways. Their teaching skill is affected by their experiences, trainings, size of class, hours of teaching in a week, methodology and the materials they usually use. However, successful teachers tend to have certain things in common. They usually: . Have practical command in English, not just a knowledge of grammar rules. . Use English most of the time in every class, including beginners' classes. . Emphasize more on learners' practice, instead of teacher explanations. . Use time for real-communicative activities, not just practice of language forms. . Focus their teaching on their learners' needs, not just 'finishing' the syllabus or course book. A teacher's development of a command of English should be a long-life hobby as well as a professional obligation. Of course, a knowledge of the rules and terminology of grammar and vocabulary is also useful. But language teaching is much more than just the transfer of knowledge. Using English in to communicate with their learners is also avoidable. By using English in or out of classroom, their learners constantly experience the real communicative use of English. It motivates the learners and improves their exposure to the language through listening comprehension and gives them opportunity to speak English. Finally, put the learners at the centre of teaching. Your success as a teacher is based entirely on their success as learners. Hopefully this short ideas will benefit those interested in English teaching. |
Verb Formation
The following chart shows the positive, negative and interrogative (question) forms of all the principle tenses in English with a brief description of the principle usage. Please note that for a better understanding of the tense forms you should follow the links to pages focusing on the specific tense. This chart is principally for comparison purposes.
| TENSE | POSITIVE | NEGATIVE | QUESTION | USE |
| Simple Present | I play tennis on Mondays. | They don't (do not) work in New York. | Does she know him? | Habitual activities - States More |
| Simple Past | She went to Paris last week. | They didn't (did not) drive to work. | Where did she get that hat? | Actions happening at a defined moment in the past. More |
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| Simple Future | I'll (will) meet you at the airport tomorrow. | He won't (will not) be able to come. | Will they visit us soon? | Decisions made at the moment about the future, future predictions, future promises More |
| Present Continuous | He's (is) working at the moment. | They aren't (are not) coming this evening. | What are you doing? | Actions happening at the present moment. Near future intention and scheduling. More |
| Past Continuous | I was watching TV when you called. | He wasn't (was not) working when she arrived. | What were you doing when I called? | Interrupted past action, action happening at a specific moment in time in the past. More |
| Future Continuous | I'll (will) be cooking dinner when you arrive. | They won't (will not) be living in Paris this time next year. | What will you be doing next week at this time? | Future action at a specific moment in the future. More |
| Future with Going to | He's (is) going to fly to Boston next week. | They're (are) not going to invite the Browns. | Where are you going to stay? | Future intent or planned action More |
| Present Perfect | I've (have) seen Mick three times this week. | She hasn't (has not) been to New York. | How long have you worked at Smith's? | 1)To express an action that was begun in the past and continues into the present. 2) To express an action that happened in the UNspecified past. 3) To express a recent action that has a present effect. More |
| Past Perfect | I'd (had) already eaten before they came. | She hadn't (had not) been to Rome before that trip. | Had you ever seen such a crazy lady before that? | To express an action that happens before another action in the past. More |
| Future Perfect | We'll (will) have lived here for twenty years by 2005. | She won't (will not) have finished her homework by the time we arrive. | How long will you have lived in France by the end of next year? | To express what will have happened or how long something will have happened up to a certain point in the future. More |
| Present Perfect Continuous | She's (has) been waiting for over three hours. | They haven't (have not) been studying for long. | How long have you been working on that problem? | To express the duration of a continuous activity begun in the past and continuing into the present. More |
| Past Perfect Continuous | She'd (had) been waiting for three hours when he finally arrived. | I hadn't (had not) been sleeping for long when I heard the doorbell ring. | How long had you been playing tennis when she arrived? | To express the duration of a continuous activity begun before another activity in the past. More |
| Future Perfect Continuous | He'll (will) have been sleeping for a few hours by the time we arrive. | She won't (will not) have been working for long by 5 o'clock. | How long will you have been driving by 6 o'clock? | To express the duration of an activity up to a point of time in the future. More |
More Grammar Help
Teaching Beginners
The difference between 'False' and 'Absolute' beginners
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False Beginners
Beginners that have already studied some English at some point in their life. Most of these learners have studied English at school, many for a number of years. These learners have usually had some contact with English since their schools years, but feel that they have little command of the language and therefore want to begin 'from the top'. Teachers can usually assume that these students will understand basic conversations and questions such as: 'Are you married?', 'Where are you from?', 'Do you speak English?', and so on. Often these learners will be familiar with grammar concepts and teachers can launch into descriptions of sentence structure and have students follow along reasonably well.
Absolute Beginners
These are learners who have had no contact with English at all. They often come from developing nations and often have had very little education. These students are often more challenging to teach as the teacher can not expect learners to understand even a minimal amount of English. The question,'How are you?', will not be understood and the teacher must begin at the very beginning, usually with no common language with which to explain the basics.
With these differences in mind, I would like to make a few suggestions about teaching absolute and false beginners.
Teaching Beginners
Tips for Teaching Absolute Beginners
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- Absolute Beginners have had no contact with English
When teaching someone who has had no prior (or very little) contact with the language, you need to carefully choose what you present. Here is an example of the type of thinking that needs to go into planning a lesson:
If I begin the first lesson with, 'Hi, my name is Ken. What is your name?', I am presenting three (!) concepts at once:
- The verb 'be'
- Possessive pronouns 'my' and 'your'
- Subject and verb inversion in the question form
It would be much better (and more comprehensible) to the students if I began the lesson with, 'Hi, I am Ken.' and then gesture to the student to repeat a similar phrase. In this way, the student can repeat by rote and begin with something easy which can then lead to something like: 'Hi, I am Ken. Are you Ken?' - 'No, I am Elmo'. By limiting the linguistic concepts absolute beginners can more easily assimilate the pieces.
- Do not assume familiarity with linguistic concepts
This is rather obvious, but often ignored by many teachers. If you write a grammar chart - even a simple one - on the board, you are assuming that students are familiar with grammar charts. Students may not have had the type of education that involves charts and representations. By keeping things aural and visual (gestures, pictures, etc.) you will be appealing to learning styles that students are sure to have acquired in everyday life.
- Use exaggerated visual gestures
Using gestures such as pointing to yourself and saying, 'I am Ken', and then pointing to the student to repeat helps students understand what you want of them, without confusing them by more language such as; 'Now, repeat'. Develop specific gestures as codes for certain linguistic operations. For example, to illustrate the idea of inversion in the question form you can extend your two arms and say, 'My name is Ken' and then cross your arms and ask, 'Is your name Ken?', this gesture can then be repeated as linguistic skills become more advanced and the students will understand that a question needs to be asked. For example, 'I live in New York' and then cross your arms and ask, 'Where do you live'. When a student makes a mistake asking a question, you can then cross your arms and the student will understand that he / she needs to invert in order to ask a question.
- Try to pick up a few phrases of the learner's native tongue
This is purely a psychological trick. Learners - especially adult learners - who are learning English with no prior experience are not only undergoing a difficult learning experience. In many cases, they are also learning how to learn a language. If you put yourself on the line by expressing the desire to learn a few phrases of your students' native language, you can go a long way towards building a rapport with students which will help them feel more at ease in class.
Teaching Beginners
Tips for Teaching False Beginners
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Make allowances for the different levels of your 'false' beginner class
False beginners will all have had some English training at some point in the past and this can cause some special problems.
- Some learners will really know more than they admit and, with the passing of time, might become bored with some of the basics.
- Different levels can quickly create tensions between learners, as those who know more can become impatient with others who require more time.
- Some learners might be false beginners because of inherent learning problems.
Some Solutions
- Give more advanced learners more difficult tasks. - For example, when asking questions of students ask the more advanced learners questions beginning with 'Why' which will require a more advanced response.
- Give more advanced learners extra work in class and at home. - By having a few extra tasks at hand you can bridge the gap that is often created when those who are faster finish earlier.
- If more advanced 'false' beginners become impatient don't hesitate to ask them something that is over their head. - This might be a little harsh, but will work wonders!
- Remember that things will eventually even out after the first few weeks. - Usually, 'false' beginners are there because they really do need to review from the very beginning. This implies that sooner or later all of the learners will be learning something that is truly new for them and problems with impatience will quickly disappear.
- If a learner is a false beginner because of learning problems, you will need to consider different learning styles - People learn in different ways. If grammar explanations, etc. are not helping a particular learner, you can help that learner with visual, audio and other methods appropriate for different learning styles. For more information on different learning styles take a look at this feature.
Some Helpful Assumptions About Your Students
- Your students will have basic familiarity with linguistic concepts. - False beginners have all studied English at school and will therefore find things like conjugation charts and timelines useful.
- Standard themes will probably be familiar. - Most false beginners are comfortable with basic conversations such as: ordering food in a restaurant, introducing themselves, talking about their immediate family, etc. This will give you a good starting point on which to build when beginning your course and getting to know your students.
Special New Resource!
A new set of resources, designed especially for teaching 'Absolute Beginners', will be added to this site. The exercises are meant to be taught in order to progressively build skills that ESL students will need to communicate the basic necessities of everyday life in an English speaking environment.
