INSTITUT PENDIDKAN GURU

KAMPUS GAYA, KOTA KINABALU.

PROGRAM DIPLOMA PASCASISWAZAH PENDIDIKAN

(PDPP)

TEACHING ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE (TESL)

(AMBILAN OKT 2020)
(Kemasukan Disember 2020)

STUDENT’S COURSEWORK

SEMESTER 1 YEAR 1
SESI: OKTOBER 2020 – MAC 2021

STUDENT’S NAME NORINI BINTI SAKMAT

INDEX/ MATRIC NUMBER 2020072400059 D07202350
IC NUMBER 910401125940
CLASS/ GROUP PDPP TESL SEM 1 YEAR 1 (OKT 2020 INTAKE)
TSLB2063R ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING
CODE AND NAME OF COURSE METHODOLOGY IN THE PRIMARY ESL
CLASSROOM
LECTURER’S NAME MR LOURDES NAGARAJAN

TASK TASK 1: WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT 30%

SUBMISSION DATE 8 JANUARY 2021

STUDENT’S
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
RECEIVED FEEDBACKS FROM
LECTURER

Student’s Acknowledgement:

I hereby acknowledge that I have received feedback from the lecturer and I have also referred it and understood it.
Notes (If available) :

Student’s Name and Signature: Date:

Language learning is an active process that begins at very early stage in life. As we may well
have noticed, children usually acquire their mother tongue naturally as they grow up through the
interaction with their parents and the environment surrounds them. In contrast with second language
learning for example here in Sabah, Malaysia, most of the students learn English as a second or third
language. The process is slightly different as we acquire mother tongue. Students usually learn
English when they start enroll for school. They started at the preschool, primary school then
secondary school.

Some of the theories in language learning are behaviorism, cognitivism, social constructivism,
and humanism. Behaviorism is also known as behavioral psychology, a theory of learning based on
the idea that all behaviors are acquired through a process called conditioning. Conditioning is a
process of developing connections between a stimulus and a response. Thus, learning happens
when a correct response is demonstrated following the presentation of a specific environmental
stimulus. The theorists in behaviorism which are include the name of John B. Watson, Edward
Thorndike, and B.F. Skinner. According to John B. Watson, he argued that the inner experiences that
were the focus of psychology could not be properly studied as they were not observable. Hence, the
generation of stimulus-response model was the result of the laboratory experimentation that he did.
The surrounding is seen as providing stimuli to individuals develop responses.

Another theory in language learning is humanism. Humanism learning theory was a response
to common educational theories at the time which were behaviorism and psychoanalysis. The theory
pretty much involve around Abraham Maslow Hierarchy of Need. The theorists in humanistic learning
theory believe that students are inherently good and will make good decisions when all their needs
are met. For example, a student who is hungry won’t have as much attention to give to learning.
Thus, offering meals to the student so that their need is met and they can focus on education. In
conclusion, humanism focuses on the idea that learners bring out the best in themselves, and that
humans are driven by their feelings more rather than rewards and punishments. In my classroom, I
find this theory very relevant and as a teacher, we should be more attentive towards our student’s
needs. It is because sometimes student especially in lower primary school are more expressive on
their need. They say even ask their teacher’s permission to eat when they feel hungry. Giving them
opportunity to snacking for short time would mean a lot for them and their study later on.

There are varieties of different methodology In language teaching. According to Asher and
James (1982), methods are the combination of techniques that are used and plasticized by the
teachers in the classroom in order to teach their students and approaches are the philosophies of
teachers about language teaching that can be applied in the classrooms by using different techniques
of language teaching. In addition, according to Freeman (2000), methods are taught to the teachers
make a base and give them thinking about the applicable techniques and principles according to the
situation where they stand.

Grammar Translation Method is one of the early methods used in language teaching. It was
the most popular and widely used method for language teaching between the ages of 1840 to 1940.
However, this method was first used for learning and teaching Latin language. The learners were able
to learn Latin and study the literature of Latin language through the translation of the second
language to the first language. The learners learn the grammatical rules by memorizing and long lists
of vocabulary learned by heart. Meanwhile, the Direct Method was the outcome of the reaction
against the grammar translation method. This particular method was against the translation of written
and oral text and the only focus was to learn in the target language. The lesson begins with a
dialogue using a modern conversational style in the target language which is English. As for advance
learner, they read literature for comprehension and pleasure. Although this method focus more on the
target language, it was also criticized due to few reasons such as the success in this method can be
applied only in small classes where all the learners can get individual attention. When I first teaching
English in SK Kunak 1, I was assigned to Year 3 class. I began my lesson in English and I was
having difficulties in continuing the lesson as most of the students were having problem in grasping
the meaning of what I want to convey. My students’ understandings of English language are below
moderate. Thus, I attempted different approach when teaching my student. I ended up using
grammar translated method as I teach. Moreover, the numbers of my student in class are very big
and I was unable to give each and every one attention they needed.

According to Richards and Rodgers (1986), the success of the direct method depends on the
teacher’s skills and personality more than on the methodology. I agree with the former statement
because in my experience, I believe that I still lack of teaching skills and knowledge in dealing with
big number of student in a classroom. Apart from that, most of my students are lack the exposure of
English language. There is a limited communicative use of English in their daily life. Furthermore, the
students in SK Kunak 1 are mostly consists of different ethnicity. Thus, English language might not be
their second language but a third language. The best technique that I can came up with is that
teaching my student in a fun, game-like lesson in order to make my students more comfortable
learning English. For example, using topic on Telling Time that the main focus is to teach the students
the concept time using structure of ‘half past’ and ‘quarter past or quarter to’, I prepared the question
and ask the student to answer in pair. They used the actual clock to show what their understanding.
In conclusion, teacher must be competent in teaching English and came up with the best approach to
teach multilingual student.

References.
A Guide to Teaching English. Language Teaching Methodologies. Retrieved from
http://esl.fis.edu/teachers/support/method.htm

UKEssays. (November 2018). Methods And Approaches Of English Language Teaching. Retrieved
from https://www.ukessays.com/essays/english-language/methods-and-approaches-of-english-
language-teaching-english-language-essay.php?vref=1

WGU (July 2020). What Is Humanistic Learning Theory In Education? Retrieved from
https://www.wgu.edu/blog/what-humanistic-learning-theory-education2007.html#:~:text=The
%20humanistic%20theory%20approach%20engages,in%20the%20humanistic%20learning
%20theory