ELT 302 Midterm Paper

Applied Linguistics
Questions:
1. You will e gi!en some written samples o" language produced # E$% 101
students o" &'(. You ma# also collect ot)er samples "rom ot)er instructors o"
t)e same course. Your instructor will in"orm #ou aout t)e topics on w)ic)
students )ad responded. Anal#*e t)e samples and tal+ to at least 10 E$% 101
students and decide w)at +ind o" teac)ing approac),es- s)ould e used to
teac) Englis) to t)ese students. .upport #our argument wit) proper
re"erence "rom #our own learning e/perience as well as learning "rom t)is
course.
2. T)ese da#s we )ear t)e word 0Englis)es1 a lot. 2o #ou t)in+ t)at t)is term
est descries t)e condition in w)ic) language is in rig)t now3 4)# and )ow
)as Englis) ecome 0Englis)es13 2o #ou support t)is c)ange in t)e outloo+
towards languages3 .ome e/perts argue t)at allowing t)is to )appen will
lead to diluting purit# o" t)e Englis) Language. 2o #ou agree or disagree3
4)#3 4)at do #ou t)in+ is in store "or Englis) in t)e "uture3
3. 4)at is t)e scope "or teac)ing and learning E.P ,Englis) "or .peci"ic
Purpose- in (anglades)3 5an #ou gi!e e/amples o" some E.P courses taug)t
in t)e countr#3 4)at c)allenges does teac)ing E.P "ace3
6. 2o #ou t)in+ t)at as a teac)er o" Englis) in (anglades) one s)ould aim at
e7uipping one8s students wit) nati!e9li+e competence: or allow learners to
de!elop and use !arieties o" Englis)3 %i!e reasons and e/amples to support
#our answer.
$;TE: &n t)e 7uestions: <learning and teac)ing in (anglades)8 re"ers to learning
and teac)ing in t)e uran areas in (anglades)
Me)ta* &slam &2 10202=>
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Answer 1:
I collected samples of language produced by ENG 101 students of IUB. They
were midterm !ui" and assignments of the students. These papers were designed to
chec# their listening and spea#ing s#ills and e$en their grammatical competence. The
assignment was writing a short essay about a dream they had. The !ui" included
correcting sentences with grammatical errors and ma#ing !uestions from answers. %nd
the midterm co$ered areas li#e completing a gi$en dialogue using appropriate !uestions
writing sentences to test their #nowledge on tenses choosing correct answers after
reading a passage and a listening tas#. I ha$e not only gone through all the papers but
also ha$e tal#ed to ten students from that class.
The class is of a heterogeneous group of learners. They are not of the same
gender they come from different locations their le$el of competence is different and
their le$el of moti$ation to learn English is different. &owe$er their purpose of learning
English is same academic they are of similar age group and most of them are from
Bengali 'edium schools. (hen I tal#ed to them all claimed to ha$e the same problem
communicating in English. 'any complained that they understand what the teacher is
as#ing)he*she #nows the answer but cannot put the words together and utter it. % few of
them said they become ner$ous while spea#ing because they are not e+posed to the
language as much as English 'edium students. ,ome said that they ha$e problem
selecting words as in they do not #now which word is appropriate for the situation. %
few e$en ha$e problem understanding the accent of different people. &owe$er e!er#one
said that they ha$e a good command o$er grammar and teaching grammar is not
necessary as they ha$e been taught grammar deducti$ely in school. They said they do not
ha$e any problem in reading and writing but when I chec#ed their scripts it was a
different scenario. The students do not ha$e a good command o$er the grammar of
English. Their writing is $ery poor. They do not #now how to construct grammatically
correct sentences. 'aybe since the grammar taught in school was not applied they did not
ha$e practice hence they ha$e forgotten the use of grammar. In such a class where the
students- grammatical competence and communicating s#ills are $ery poor what method
should we use to teach them English.
In my opinion we should use an eclectic method of teaching language. It should
be a mi+ture of a few methods which would gi$e them the basic idea about grammar and
would help them to open up and communicate in English. I would choose Grammar
Translation 'ethod and /irect 'ethod.
%rammar Translation9 this method was dominant during the period on 101021310-s. %t
that time it was also #nown as the 4lassical 'ethod as well as the 5russian 'ethod. The
purpose of this method is to help students read and appreciate foreign language. The main
focus of this method is on grammar structure and le+is. Grammar is taught deducti$ely
and students are to memori"e new $ocabulary. They also ha$e to translate word by word
from nati$e language to target language or $ice2$ersa. There is no emphasis on
pronunciation. %ccuracy is important not fluency. The medium of instruction is the
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student-s nati$e language. The teacher-s role is authoritati$e but they hea$ily rely on
te+tboo#s.
2irect Met)od9 this method came after the 7eform 'o$ement. The main aim of this
method was to teach students to be able to communicate in foreign language. The basic
rule of /irect 'ethod is) no translation is allowed and meaning is to be conveyed
directly in the target language through the use of demonstration and visual aids, with no
recourse to the students native language. ,tudents are as#ed to read out aloud so that
their spea#ing s#ill is practiced. 'emori"ing $ocabulary is not encouraged. (ords used
for e$eryday communication is taught. 8ocus is on fluency and pronunciation not on
accuracy. ,elf2correction and interaction between students and teacher2student is highly
encouraged. Grammar is taught inducti$ely in this method. The teacher and students are
more li#e partners in teaching*learning process.
'any might say that /irect 'ethod is more appropriate for teaching IUB ENG
101 students because the students need to learn how to communicate in English. I would
not disagree with them but I would li#e to ta#e one element of Grammar Translation
'ethod as a part of my method i.e. to teach grammar deducti$ely. I belie$e that teaching
grammar is $ery important. It is the building bloc# of learning a language. If the basic is
strong it will help the students to communicate in the target language 9English:. %t the
same time I also belie$e that students must constantly practice what they are learning by
communicating in English. %s an English 'edium student I ha$e learnt grammar and had
the opportunity to practice it because we were highly encouraged to communicate in
English in school. If I did not ha$e a good basic on grammar how would I construct
grammatically correct sentences. Therefore it cannot be said that grammar is not
important. Grammar is important and after one gains mastery o$er the grammatical s#ills
it is $ery important to practice those s#ills by communicating in English. I feel the
teacher should play an authoritati$e yet friendly role. Unli#e Grammar Translation
'ethod teachers should not rely ;ust on te+t boo#s. They should create fle+ible
interesting and up2to2date materials which will attract the students. Grammar te+tboo#s or
con$entional course2boo#s might de2moti$ate students. There should be a lot of
interaction between teacher2student and student2student. English must be the only
language used for communication. ,tudents must wor# on their pronunciation and can
imitate the teacher.
This was my opinion after analy"ing the students writing and spea#ing s#ills and
their grammatical competence. If we can follow this method for ENG 101 we can get
satisfactory result. &owe$er one course in one semester is not enough to teach basics of
English. It re!uires time and high moti$ation of students. %s I suggested earlier teacher
and student must wor# as a team.
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Answer 2:
In my opinion =Englishes> best describe the current condition in which language
is in right now. /ue to political economic and technological changes many countries
after Britain and the United ,tates came in the lime light. ,ince these countries are $ery
important and influential the way they spo#e that became a #ind of English. /ifferent
types of Englishes include 4anadian English %ustralian English ,outh %frican English
5hilippine English ,ingaporean English and Indian English.
This change in language has caused many differences in the use of English. ,ince
English is used world wide the people ha$e altered English according to their need.
,ometimes they unconsciously insert their nati$e language words into English. Those
words become a part of English. 8or e+ample in Indian English they would say =(ould
you li#e some achaar.> The word achaar chutney etc are a part of Indian English. In
,ingaporean English they would say =?ou want Nasi Goreng lah.> e+pressions li#e
=lah> are $ery commonly used in ,ingaporean English. They do not say fried rice they
say =Nasi Goreng> as a result that has also become a part of English.
In my opinion this is a positi$e change in language. 8rom the time of ,ha#espeare
till now there are many changes in English @anguage. These changes occurred because
the world changed and along with the time and world language has to change as well.
Therefore if more countries are getting affluent enough to communicate with the world
why should not we accept the changes they ma#e to the language. They are not
completely changing English to another language neither are they claiming to ma#e their
language the @ingua 8ranca. %ll they are doing is that they are adding a few words of
their own language the meaning of which can be deri$ed from conte+t and they spea#
with their own accent. In order to flourish the communication in the world we must
accept different Englishes and the change they bring along with themsel$es.
,ome e+perts say that this is diluting the purity of the language. 'y !uestion is
what e+actly is purity of language. ?ears ago English used to be different and with time
it has been changing. @atin used to ha$e a great influence on English but o$ertime it has
changed. Then we cannot say that the language we are using today is not pure because
with time language will e$ol$e. 'any old words will be omitted and new words will be
added. I thin# it actually ma#es the language stronger. %t least influential countries are
not claiming to change their mother tongue into the @ingua 8ranca. They are respecting
English and #eeping it in its place. Aust some new conte+ts le+is and accents are being
introduced. E$en the young nati$e spea#ers are bringing in changes in the language.
(ords li#e cool faceboo#ing boo"e etc are being used and will soon be there in the
dictionaries because this is how people communicate these days. The new generation is
e+pected to bring changes and we ha$e to accept it.
In my opinion English is still blooming. There will be far more new words
e+pressions accents. It will become a $ery di$erse language. If the different #inds of
Englishes are accepted it will become $ery easy for the world to communicate. It will
become the most important language in the world. There will be more importance gi$en
to it than it is gi$en now. E$erybody will be bound to spea# in English as it is going to be
so widespread.
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Answer 3:
E,5 9English for ,pecific 5urposes: is the teaching of English for any purpose
that can be specified. The purpose can be academic or professional. %cademic purposes
can $ary from learning to pass e+ams or to do better in e+ams to get better ;obs or to be
able to read and write. E+amples of E55 9English for 5rofessional 5urpose: courses are
Business English English for waiters English for doctors and nurses ,cientific English
etc.
%fter (orld (ar II internationally there was e+pansion in science technology
and economy. %s a result the world was dominated by two ma;or forces2 technology and
commerce. This created a need for an international language for the world to
communicate in. ,ince the United ,tates of %merica was the economically powerful
English became the International @anguage. ,oon English became $ery important.
E$erything was in English starting from te+tboo#s to labels instruction manuals
doctor-s prescription ;ournals etc. This created need for E,5 courses. Bther factors li#e
shift of language teaching from deducti$e grammar teaching to communicati$e language
teaching and focus shifting to each learner-s need created a huge demand for E,5.
Though English is not one of the official language or not the second language of
Bangladesh it is still important to learn English. In order to understand English news or
read English newspapers or to read instruction manuals or labels one must #now English.
The scope for teaching and learning E,5 is increasing in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is
connecting with the world. Bangladeshi wor#ers are going to different parts of the world
to wor#. They need E,5 classes for de$eloping basic communication s#ills. E$en
students who go abroad for studies or professionals who go abroad for training need E,5
courses. @ately many foreign companies ha$e in$ested in Bangladesh. 'any foreigners
also wor# with many Ngo s or organi"ations in Bangladesh. 5eople wor#ing in these
multinational companies Ngo s organi"ation or pro;ects need to learn English. Therefore
I thin#ing the scope of teaching and learning E,5 is growing in Bangladesh. ,ome
e+amples of E,5 courses are English for &otel 'anagement 9receptionist waiters etc:
English for Tourism 9for tour guides: IE@T, and TB8E@ computer courses etc.
E,5 classes are different from General English classes. The biggest challenge is
for teachers. They ha$e to gain mastery o$er the content of the course. It is specified so
the teacher must #now well about the sub;ect. 8or e+ample teaching Business English at
uni$ersity le$el it is not only necessary for the teacher to ha$e good command o$er
English but also needs to #now how to write a business letter how to prepare 5ower
5oint presentations etc. 'oreo$er most E,5 class students are adults or teenagers so
sometimes lac# moti$ation therefore if the teacher fails to gain students- interest then
they might not concentrate which can lead to minimal learning. ,tudents with low
moti$ation to learn may not respond to the teacher and may not pro$ide feedbac#. This
becomes a $ery difficult situation for teachers.
%s a result E,5 courses can be $ery effecti$e or may not ha$e e+pected outcome.
It totally depends on the learner-s needs and how teachers can cater to those needs. %
needs analysis a proper course design and material e$aluation may help to impro$e an
E,5 course.
C
Answer 6:
In my opinion as a teacher of Bangladesh one should aim for nati$e2li#e
confidence while teaching English or allow learners to use $ariety of English. &owe$er
in Bangladesh English is not ac!uired as first language but is taught as a second
language or foreign language that too in urban areas. This aim may not be successful
e$en in urban areas due to the following reasons.
Indi$idual factors are $ery important such as age se+ location. The learners of
English in urban areas start learning from elementary le$el. ,ome e$en start as early as <2
C in urban areas start learning from elementary le$el. ,ome e$en start as early as <2C
years old. %t that age it is $ery easy learn a new language as there are no barriers to learn
a language. (hen people get older it gets difficult to learn new languages. %t a young
age children will learn most of the things they are taught. @ocation is also a ma;or aspect.
@earners from selecti$e urban areas are prone to learn English faster as they are more
e+posed to tele$ision computers internet boo#s etc. 8or e+ample /ha#a is an Urban
city but people li$ing in colonies of 7ayarba"ar or Dawran Ba"ar will not be considered
as an urban class. E$en there is a difference in class between Gulshan residents and
/hanmondi residents. The Gulshan residents are thought to be more =elite> than residents
of /hanmondi. 4hildren going to schools li#e %merican International ,chool ,unbeams
and ,cholastica are more li#ely to ha$e nati$e li#e competence than children studying at
Aunior @aboratory school in /hanmondi. The $ariety of English the top most English
schools are e+posed to are not the same in other English medium schools. ,ometimes
these schools ha$e different nati$e spea#ers of English as their teachers or may ha$e
students from $ariety of places. They are e+posed to different type languages but many
students are not.
There is a cultural difference in between the western world and Bangladesh. E$en
in the urban areas there are cultural gaps with the west. There might be e+pressions used
in English which are not familiar in Bangladesh conte+t. There might be cultural rules
and norms which is a taboo in Bangladesh but is accepted in the west. The cultural e$ents
and religious e$ents are different. 8or e+ample in a te+t boo# it is written =&appy
&anu##ahE> many English medium bac#ground student might not understand what
&anu##ah is. &anu##ah is the Aewish New ?ear and is not popular to Bangladeshis
unli#e 4hristmas or Than#sgi$ing. 8ormulaic E+pressions or fillers are $ery popular in
the west but not in Bangladesh. In Bangladesh when one spea#s English he should spea#
$ery fluently to be more specific non stop. 8or e+ample one is not considered a good
spea#er if he uses fillers li#e =umm.. uhhhF but ummF. ErmF> If fillers are used it is
considered as stammering in Bangladeshi culture. (hereas nati$e English language
spea#ers are highly encouraged to use fillers) to ma#e the discourse meaning more clear.
No matter how much a teacher tries to e!uip students with nati$e li#e competence
the students will not learn the second language li#e the way they ac!uired first language.
There is a difference between ac!uiring a language as a child and learning another
language. ,ometimes your mother tongue can interfere with the learning of the second
language. This is called @1 interference. This occurs when learners unconsciously use the
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structure of the mother tongue while spea#ing the second language. 8or e+ample when
you want to say =I am going> in Bengali you say =%mi ;acchi.> @earners end up using
this structure and say =I go.> This is a $ery common error. This can happen to any
learner. %ny learner with a different mother tongue might face this problem. It might
happen to learners from good English medium schools too. (hen these #inds of errors
occur learners might get $ery ner$ous and an+ious which might cause a bloc#. &ence
learners might get de2moti$ated to learn the language.
%s a result it can be aimed to teach $arieties of English and e!uip the learners
with nati$e2li#e competence but practically it may not wor#. If all of the public schools
were under the same umbrella this might ha$e been a success. The different standard of
each pri$ate school is the main problem. If they followed one curriculum and the same
method of teaching maybe it would ha$e been possible to aim for teaching $arieties of
English and e!uipping the learners with nati$e2li#e competence.
H
7eferenceI
JEnglish for ,pecific 5urposesI (hat /oes It 'ean.J English for Specific
Purposes: What Does t !ean. N.p. n.d. (eb. 00 'ar. 601<.
JEnglish for ,pecific 5urposes.J Wi"ipedia. (i#imedia 8oundation 0< 'ay
601<. (eb. 00 'ar. 601<.
@arsen28reeman /iane. #echni$ues and Principles in %anguage #eaching. New
?or# N.?. U,%I B+ford U5 130G. 5rint.
7ichards Aac# 4. and Theodore ,. 7odgers. &pproaches and !ethods in
%anguage #eaching. 4ambridgeI 4ambridge U5 6001. 5rint.
J(orld Englishes.J Wi"ipedia. (i#imedia 8oundation 0< 'ay 601<. (eb. 00
'ar. 601<.
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