Теодора Байрактарова, фак.

номер 26082

Assessing knowledge

Assessment is a critical step in a learning process. It determines whether or not the courses
learning objectives have been met. A learning objective is what the student should know or
be able to do by the time the lesson is completed. Assessment includes student learning; it
is a crucial part of learning. When students see how they are doing in a test are able to
determine whether or not they are coping with the material. A low score would indicate the
student has not successfully learned the material and that they should try something new to
cover the material.
Assessment helps students and teachers alike. When in the case of the student it shows
whether or not the effort put into learning the material was enough, for the teacher it is
more complicated. An overwhelmingly great result on behalf of everyone would mean that
either the assessment or the material was too basic for the class or student. An average
result would indicate that there is more to polish and a low result could even point to a
teacher’s struggle in teaching the class properly. In either case, after assessing a group of
students, the teacher must analyze and use the result to make an action plan that would
affect the way of taeching in class. The result of the assessment indicates how on average
the class is doing, whether or not there are some students who are lagging behind and even
what the general mood in the class is. In this train of thought, assessment is more a tool for
the teacher to learn and adapt, rather than for the learners.

Using play in learning

Children are naturally motivated to play. While playing, children explore, experiment,
exercise, discover new things. Using play as a tool for teaching children is an easy way to
keep them stimulated and interested. A play-based approach involves both child-initiated
and teacher-supported learning. The teacher’s role in such an approach is to encourage
mental activities through trying to make children stretch their brains. For example, a teacher
can boost problem solving by asking specifically designed questions while the child is
playing. Compared to direct instruction, play-based learning shows long-term benefits as
well as the fact that generally the number of self-initiated activities is higher. Involvement
in play stimulates learning and the results of exploration and discovery are generally higher.
Let’s consider this – most interactive toys that use language to teach toddlers are generally
in English. It can often turn out to be the case that the toddler will learn more English words,
and faster, than native words. The reason is play, repetition and an openness to exploring
and learning about the world on behalf of the toddler. Of course, it is generally considered a
mistake to introduce a second language before the age of three, yet it is common practice
to use audio toys. In the same manner in which the child learns words from a new language
while playing, playing can be used as a study booster. While playing the child will learn
effortlessly because the effort will be on behalf of the instructor. It will be the teacher’s role
to adapt to the game. The teacher, of course, cannot be fully prepared in advance, since the
game can go in any direction. However, through game learning becomes effortless.

Teaching the spellings of English words

Теодора Байрактарова, фак. номер 26082

Most children begin learning how to spell English words around the time when they are 7 or
8 years. It is usually the case that they learn how to write and read at the same time. Proper
spelling does not necessarily reflect a child’s intelligence. However, spelling is, indeed an
important part of learning a foreign language. Poor spelling habits will haunt a young
learner. The more time passes, the bigger the gaps will become. Misspelling words can be
embarrassing for young learners. They can be distracting for the teacher who is reading.
Mistakes can also cause future embarrassing moments for learners, especially in their
professional relationships.
The first words children learn to spell are memorized. It is usually the case since English is
one of those languages, where it is not necessary for certain sounds to be pronounced, even
if a corresponding word is spelled. There are further complications with some letters, like
“c” that take different pronunciations. And French is even worse than English in that regard.
Hence, some devices are usually used when teaching spelling. For example, grouping words
that are familiar to help students to get familiar with patterns in the target language.
For young learners to learn spellings, handwriting and reading can be greatly beneficial.
These actions encourage the students to learn words and spellings by exposing the children
to the words as often as possible. And of course for students who struggle with learning to
spell properly, there are courses, such as a touch typing course where they can get the
special attention they need to learn to spell properly.

Teaching the spellings to dyslexic children

Dyslexia is a fairly common learning difference. It affects reading. A lot of children suffer
from undiagnosed dyslexia and this can be confusing and even embarracing for the child.
For someone with dyslexia learning to spell can sometimes be even more difficult than
learning how to read. Dyslexia can mess a child’s self-esteem. It is often the case that
children compare themselves with other children their age.
If the parent figures have not noticed dyslexia in their child, a teacher must identify this
condition and must take timely actions to help a child with dyslexia. Early recognition of
dyslexia and dyslexia-friendly intervention are key for helping a child learn spelling and
learning. However, things do not end with the child’s learning to read and write. It is
important to let children with dyslexia know that they are allowed to make mistakes.
Spelling rules should not be something to fixate on. It is difficult enough for them as it is.
Let’s take for example Greek. A Greek child will have to learn all the written variants of a <i>
sound. In Greek there are five ways to represent this sound in writing and it is sometimes
the case that depending on the letter, the word can be different. However, since words are
rarely used without context, fixating on the spelling is needless when it comes to children
with dyslexia. Especially in modern time, technology easily correct mistakes due to wrong
spelling. Furthermore, there is much more to speaking a new language, than spelling alone.
Children with dyslexia should be encouraged to take their effort to something they are good
at, such as grammatical structures for example. Or polishing of pronunciations.

Speaking the foreign language outside the classroom as a motivator

for learning
Теодора Байрактарова, фак. номер 26082

I am interested in learning how does the teacher keep students motivated to keep learning
a language when they don’t have friends who speak it. Motivation plays a major role in how
well the students perform in the classroom and how well they speak the foreign language
they are taught.
In my opinion it is very difficult to keep a student’s motivation up when they have very little
touch with the language outside the classroom. For example, as a person who is learning
Greek, I find it challenging to learn new material without being able to speak it outside the
classroom. I think that being able to practice without having to complete exercises gives
students the opportunity to hear more genuine speech.
I visited a class of a teacher who teaches Russian privately. The teaches is Russian so instead
of only giving exercises to her student she tries to involve natural speech in her classes. The
student performs very well when completing exercises but the teacher claims that her
student does not seem to be interested in them alone. She showed me how she keeps her
student interested: she conditions conversations that are connected with the topic of the
current lesson and as a homework assignment asks her student to practice speaking
Russian. More specifically, she asks the student to talk to his parents but instead of
responding in the student’s mother tongue, the child is asked to respond in Russian. That
way should the child have issues responding in Russian he is encouraged to look up any
unfamiliar words in order to be able to complete his utterance. In the beginning of the next
class the teacher and the student revisit the topic of the previous class and the student
reports on how he has managed to respond using Russian instead of his mother tongue. The
student has difficulties but reports that he manages to express himself fairly well in Russian.
In addition he shows the teacher the new words and expressions he has learned.
I think this way of making students use the foreign language helps them to learn it through
using it. What has already been studied in the classroom is later validated in the sense that
the student knows how to use what he has already learned. And this, after all is what
foreign language learning aims at.

Comparing different foreign languages as a technique for clearing

out of confusions

Most people learn on the basis of analogy and yet there seems to be no analogy between
languages. Take Greek for example. It is not by accidents that Americans use the phrase “it’s
all Greek to me” to mean that they have no clue what is being talked about. Because of how
early Greeks separated from the Proto-Indoeuropeans Greek ended up as quite different
Теодора Байрактарова, фак. номер 26082

from other languages. When people begin to learn Greek everything seems alien. However,
for a native speaker things can be easily explained with a proper approach. A teacher who is
to teach a Bulgarian student Greek can easily use the similarities between the two
languages to explain Greek grammar and lexis in a user-friendly way. Even the alphabet can
be explained by showing the student the similarities, rather than focusing on what is
different. It is often the case that teachers, and especially older ones, tend to take too much
time focusing on the differences between languages. I think this confuses young learners
and I think this should be avoided as much as possible. Rather than focusing on how things
are expressed differently in the target language, compared to the source language, the
focus should be on familiar things. It is proven that it is easier for the mind to remember
things that already are familiar. It is much easier to explain the alphabet of the target
language by pointing out to what is identical or similar to the target language. Similarities
can be found between every two languages so long as the teacher is focused on them. For
example, all Balkan languages share a common Balkan grammar with identical grammatical
structures. So it will be easier for the learner to memorize the structures with comparing
them to their native structures. Comparison is a great learning strategy.
Movies and magazines as supporters of language learning

Students of English as a foreign language have the privilege of having an enormous body of
reference materials and supportive tools. A great way of learning about culture while
learning the language is reading magazines and watching movies in the target language. As
a student of English I benefited greatly for familiarizing myself with different types of movies
and magazines originally produced in English.
Many times teachers are not native speakers of English and their grammar and
pronunciation may not necessarily sound very native. That is where original works help
students familiarize themselves with the structures of native English grammar and the
sounds of native English. Magazines published originally in English have a pronouncedly
English syntax and Grammar. Since the grammar of the native language of the students may
be very different from the grammar of the target language, reading genuine texts can be of
help in creating grammatical knowledge in the heads of the students. The very same thing
goes for pronunciations. While consonants are more or less stable through languages,
vowels tend to have different qualities in different languages. This difference of vowels
between languages creates a difficulty for young students who learn foreign languages. In
order to sound more “native” and “correct” the students have to, first, be aware that there
are differences, and second, that those students have to learn to pronounce vowels with the
same qualities they have in the language on focus. Here recordings of native speakers of
English help immensely. Students can watch movies and they will learn a great deal about
how things are done in the target culture and – more importantly – students have the
opportunity to practice shadowing to help them better their pronunciation. After all, every
learner of a foreign language aims to sound as close to native as possible.

Duolingo as a source for learning a foreign language

Technology changes our live more or less day by day. When it comes to language learning,
technology offers more and more resources for learning every day. A lot of applications and
online platforms for learning foreign languages have popped up in the past years. In my
Теодора Байрактарова, фак. номер 26082

opinion, Duolingo is a great example for learning foreign languages: it provides an unlimited
access to all courses, it allows users to learn as many or as few languages as they desire, and
it is absolutely free of charge. Duolingo offers language learners different activities that help
train writing, reading, listening and speaking. All that from the learner’s phone. It is easy to
access and use. It provides challenges and rankings that helps motivate more competitive
learners. It rewards gained knowledge and in terms of grading gained knowledge, Duolingo
has been making attempts to be more and more accurate. In the beginning there was only a
sort of test which chose the appropriate level for a new learner based on that learner’s
knowledge in the language. Now, Duolingo started working on synchronizing the courses
with the European Framework of References. In my opinion, this provides even more
learning opportunities since soon the learners will be able to easily asses their knowledge in
terms of levels.
Duolingo, as I said already, is easy to use. The learner depends on nothing more than just
their electronic device. It is only natural, however, that an online platform such as Duolingo
has its cons as well. For example, if the learner has issues dealing with material, there is no
teacher to guide them through difficulties. All in all, I dare say that the pros of Duolingo are
way more than the cons are. This way of learning is definitely worth a while.
Learning a language in target culture as opposed to learning a
language in source culture
It is general knowledge that it is way easier to learn a language while in the target culture
rather than while in source culture. Here, I can give my own example. I was learning Greek
for a year and I only managed to get as far as A2 according to the European Framework of
Reference. After spending less than six months in Greece I polished and built my Greek
greatly. For less than half a year, I jumped from A2 level to B2 level. So why is that?
In Greece I could well use English to communicate with people but that only got me so far. If
I wanted to have things done I had to rely on my Greek as well, not only on English. In a
situation where the use of the target language is more or less obligatory, the learner would
have no choice but to learn to deal with the unfamiliar words and expressions. This is the
reason why children who move to different countries learn the language very quickly: they
want to communicate and they usually have no other language to depend upon. In that way
at first they have some difficulties in the sense that they barely know anything. After a
while, however, they pick up the basics. At that point is like a bent has been broken and new
words in the target language flood the learner.
I think that nothing speeds up the process of language learning as much as spending time in
target culture does. That is why all language learners could benefit greatly from spending
time mixing with native speakers of the target language. Furthermore, the knowledge the
learner will obtain will be genuine. In other words, they will speak a reliable version of the
focused language.

Making a mistake in class

Making a mistake in class by students can be humiliating for students and teachers alike.
Teachers are, indeed, the powerful figure and are expected to have the answers to every
Теодора Байрактарова, фак. номер 26082

possible question or problem. Any error made by the teacher could possibly undermine the
teacher’s authority in the eyes of their students. A mistake could distress the class, leaving
gaps in students’ knowledge. It may even affect the trust students have in their instructor.
The instructor themselves are responsible for admitting and correcting the information they
may misleadingly provide. Majority of teacher mistakes stem not from lack of knowledge in
on the matter. Mistakes made by teachers, more often than not, are a miscommunication.
Mistakes may well be the result of an inaccurate or inappropriate way of presenting
information, or of lack of proper organization before and during the class. This is an
important reason why teachers must focus their energy into bettering their planning and
organizing skills – to ensure better delivery of the material prepared. Preparation would
make following the chosen teaching method run more smoothly. Preparation leaves enough
time to make sure a follow-up and feedback session happens in classes.
Mistakes can be made by everyone and in a learning environment mistakes should be used
as opportunities for learning, rather than an occasion for mockery to take place. Students,
and for that matter teachers, too, should be free to make mistakes, so long as they are
acknowledged and corrected. In that way, students learn from experience because
mistakes, after all are the best form of experience.

Teaching sounds which are not present in the source language

Consonant sounds have been proven to be fairly stable through years and languages. In
other words, they sound more or less the same in different languages and in different stages
of those languages’ developments. Unlike consonants, however, vowels can be a tricky
content for young language learners to perfect. It is often the case that students have issues
mastering new sounds. This is where the role of the teacher is crucial. It is the teacher’s
place to identify mispronunciations early on and to correct them. To the young learner’s
untrained and unexperienced ears it may be impossible to spot those differences.
So, in the cases of mispronunciations, what should the teacher do? Listening exercises are
becoming more and more popular, yet they don’t seem to be enough. The technique of
shadowing can prove to be very useful in such cases. This technique enables the learner to
hear native speech and at the same time reproduce it, allowing the learner to compare the
two variants of the target language. Furthermore, this technique is a very natural one. The
way children learn their first language is through imitation. A toddler would imitate every
word they hear and in that way learn them. Shadowing provides the foreign language
learner with the opportunity to practice and hear words at the same time, perfecting their
skill as they go. Shadowing also teaches learners to speak at a natural tempo, where many
non-native speakers find it difficult to imitate the tempo of a language. Other than that,
shadowing also teaches grammatical structures.
Shadowing is a brilliant way to tackle tricky pronunciations.

Tense sequencing in different languages

Representing tenses in their corresponding tenses from one language into another one is
not always straightforward. Not necessarily between languages one grammatical tense
construction is represented by the corresponding one. Of course, there are further issues
Теодора Байрактарова, фак. номер 26082

caused by the development of languages. For example, telling a story in English requires the
author uses the simple past tense, while telling the same story in Bulgarian could be done
again with the simple past but it could also be done with the present historical tense. In fact,
the form of the present historical tense in English is actually the form of the past simple. In
Bulgarian the form is of the present tense. And hence the confusion. And the confusion
grows even further when another action, or in other words another tense, is required to be
fitted within a language. Sequencing of tenses confuses language learners. While for a
native speaker there is no thought process and the sequencing goes smoothly, a non-native
speaker has to stop and think occasionally. Here teaching grammar comes in. Since the
grammar of the target language will never come naturally to the learner, it must come as a
result of purposeful work.
Tense sequencing is a complicated thing, but it is before all two things. First, it is knowledge
in grammatical constructions, and, second, logical thinking. That is why to produce students
who can sequence tenses properly, the teacher has to first teach them well the rules for
using the tenses. Teaching tenses comes as the result of many-a-dull filling in of grammatical
exercises. Once the students have acquired the knowledge needed, they have to be able to
perform the proper logic to connect the dots that are already there. Once the knowledge in
grammar is there, sequencing is just peachy.
Metric systems and their representation in speech
Cultural differences play a major role in learning new languages. It is due to culture that
some things are the way they are. For example, the currency in England is the Pound
Sterling and its story goes back to the metric system of the country. The metric system with
its differences and the difficulties it poses for language learners can be a major challenge.
Furthermore, different cultures tend to count differently. Not all cultures count using tens.
Some cultures use dozens or different conventions. In the Balkans we tend to count in a
more or less same manner. But English does not do likewise. Let’s look at something – if a
book is to be translated from English into Bulgarian, how do we represent inches? – by the
same amount in centimeters or by using inches? So, if counting and measuring can vary
across cultures and languages, what does that mean for learners who have to adapt to
those differences? How are teachers to deal with this issue? I think the answer is, it
depends. If students are young the matter of the subject would not be of great importance.
Therefore, it will be more convenient to simply substitute the unfamiliar metric system for
the one that students are accustomed to. For more intermediate and, therefore older
students, this same strategy can be applied. Since metric systems are a part of the culture,
but at the same time not a crucial part, it would be acceptable if not preferable to omit the
difference altogether. However, older and more advanced students should be aware of the
differences existing between source language and culture and target language and culture.
Older students should be willing and able to work with different metric systems as part of
learning a new language.

Benefits of having a native speaker as foreign language teacher

Language can be taught in many ways and forms. It is not always the case that the student
and teacher have a common language to communicate in. If that is the case, does the
student benefit or suffer? And the teacher – is it easier for a teacher to teach a class without
Теодора Байрактарова, фак. номер 26082

having a common language with the student, or is it an issue that rather prevents building of
knowledge?
When the teacher’s only language in common with their student(s) is the target language,
the student has no choice but to learn to adapt to the situation. In that sense, they are more
or less forced to learn to understand the teacher. In a situation where the learner has at
their disposal only the target language, they learn it more quickly since they speak their
mind in the target language. This monolingual communication builds grammatical
structures easily in the head of the student. I think that a learner can benefit greatly for
having a native speaker as a teacher. However, for a monolingual teacher, it may not
necessarily be as easy and as convenient as it will be for the student. Part of the role of the
teacher is to make sure the students comprehend the material. It can be tricky to
understand that the message has gone through if there is no mutual language between
student and teacher. So, a monolingual teacher should exercise great caution when teaching
students they have no common language with. Other than that, I think that a foreign
language teacher is the best way to go for the student.

Influence of popular culture in learning a foreign language

What is the fastest and most enjoyable way to learn about a country and its language?
You can be inspired to learn a language from a lot of different things but few of them have
proven themselves to be very efficient in actually learning the language and in making the
process a lot more fun.
Finding out more about a country’s culture is a very big motivator to start learning its
language. If you go to a foreign country and learn at least a bit about the music, the art, the
traditions and overall its culture, there are high chances of wanting to learn maybe two or
three phrases or words which can make you more and more curious about the language.
Nowadays for example few Asian countries became famous trough their music and culture,
therefore more and more people started learning their languages all around the world. Each
country is different on their own and has its unique culture.
Music as well is a very popular inspiration especially for young people since the variation of
genres is more expanded. Back in the day English was the most popular language for music
and lots of Latino and Spanish singers made their songs in English but now since people
started to really enjoy the Spanish language there are more and more singers that are
releasing their songs in Spanish even if it’s not their native language.
These are of course just some of the ways a country’s culture can influence people to start
learning foreign languages.