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The importance of English as a foreign language
The importance of English as a foreign language
Importance of English Language in Language learning
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A human being can only take in so much information in one sitting; this is key information to know especially when teaching grammar because it can be very intense.
Practice and application are important when developing language skills. A good grammar teacher will allow students time to practice and test students in order to find out where they are at in acquiring a language. Students should be subjected to mini grammar tests that hold little to no grade value, but are helpful to the teacher so that he or she may assess where their student stands in that course. Tests are ways to assess where students are at in the learning process, what they have learned, and what they need to improve in the class. It is important that students are made aware
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If a student writes with an accent, they will speak with an accent. Much of language acquisition and learning new grammar relies heavily on the learner’s age and ability. Age affects how many students are able to absorb a language. The amount of outside factors that determine ways that we learn languages are insurmountable, it would be impossible to tailor grammar lessons and teachings to the class because each students has a different foundation (Ellis, 2006). Aside from background knowledge, age and cognitive levels also determine how and when students are able to learn new languages. Older students in college may struggle significantly more than younger students when learning a language. Those students that have reached what Brown would describe as the critical period are adults that have lost their ability to acquire such speech and writing techniques in new languages. This can be difficult to accept, but it is best that teachers and students should both set realistic goals and expectations for classes that exist to teach foreign languages. Students learning in ESOL classrooms at an American university should not be afraid to ask questions or seek help.
For those that teach in ESOL classrooms it is important to remember that students are acquiring language differently than the way they did as a child. Grammar is a necessary and functional element of learning a language, but it should be taught carefully through writing and speech. Students should have equal amounts of class time dedicated to writing and speaking. The issues and elements that are missing from ESOL classrooms can be solved by having teachers slow down and take the time to answer and ask questions to determine where their students
Much research was completed for the making of this article. It was found that ELL’s need time to develop oral English proficiency, teachers need to use ongoing authentic formative assessments throughout the year due to
Because America is such a diverse country, public schools are faced with the challenge of providing students from all over the world with a quality education. As Chen points out “public schools have embraced the linguistic challenge presented by immigrant students” (¶1). Then, No Child Left Behind law was approved, and it required every public school should have an English Secondary Language (ESL) program that will provide the “academic support” for English Language Learners (ELLs). ELL parents are happy that their children are getting education help from the school, but it has raised the question of how successful are the ESL programs? Do ESL programs provide enough “academic support” to all ELL students? Do ESL programs have enough tools to help students learn English? Some ELL parents complain that ESL programs do not help their child learn English. A successful ESL program is not based solely on the test scores, but also the ability to connect parents, teachers, and students together to strengthen tools that will help ELL students to learn a new language in reading, writing, and speaking.
Children were taught to speak in a proper manner and because they were taught to speak correctly they wrote in a proper way as well. As technology evolved and texting came more profound grammar was becoming a lost art. In Dana Goldstein’s article ,‘Why Kids Can’t Write’, she talks about what teachers are doing about grammar. The teachers are not doing much about the grammar issue in schools.
She mentioned that children between the ages three and seven could acquire any language better than an adult. For a long time, I was convinced that the reason why I could not acquire English well enough was due to age barrier. However, this is just a theory, and it is called Critical Period Hypothesis. Based on the key concept Critical Period hypothesis, the only advantage between a child and an adult is the motivation to acquiring language. An adult would feel more pressure to quickly acquire a language versus a child who would feel less pressured to do so. The difference is the method of instruction by two different teachers teaching at two different approaches. Language can be acquired by using the basic principle of BICS - first listening and then imitating the language. Learning the accent of another language can be more difficult for adults to acquire because their mind is nearly reaching a maturity state, which the brain might become complacent or used to the accent of the first language. Therefore, it may be hard to acquire another accent as adult. The real advantage between the age differences is the ability for a child to pick up the accent of a language better than an adult, because a child spends most of their time listening to their nurturer. It may be more difficult for an adult to spend all their time listening to their teacher without investing
The purpose of this assignment is to explain the impact of English language learners in the classroom. As a foreign student, English language learner in the United States faces multiple challenges for achieving academic success. To successfully complete a task, they need to master both English as a language and how it is used in core content classes especially when they are an adult. When trying to assist in instructing English language learners, they usually have many concepts and language abilities that they need to master, as do the teachers that are trying to teach them. With the incorporation of the concepts and approaches to identify and assess the issues and concerns that we have learned in our classroom instruction, such as lesson preparation,
After viewing the panel discussion about how our local school districts have implemented English Language Learning in their school, I am very intrigued. From what I gathered the field of ELL is a growing industry in education, especially in Colorado Springs. We have ELL’s students coming from all over the world. Here in Colorado Springs alone, school districts have to accommodate for over fifty different languages spoken by ELL’s. I can only imagine the challenge that comes with such a diverse group of non- English speakers in our community schools.
In the article, “Current Developments in Research on the Teaching of Grammar” by Hossein Nassaji and Sandra Fotos two main issues had been discussed. The first one is whether grammar teaching make any differences to language learning where the questions raised are whether grammar should be taught or not. The second issue is what kinds of grammar teaching have been suggested to facilitate second language learning. If grammar should be taught, how much and should it be implicit or explicit grammar teaching? Lastly, the article discussed on the current approaches to grammar teaching in which formal instruction can be integrated with communicative activities which are processing instruction, interactional feedback, textual enhancement, task-based
The lesson is designed to give implicit exposure of grammatical features to the students. In some sections of the lesson (e.g. warming up activity and transi...
In contemporary society, English, which is studied as the second language, has become an international language. China is a typical example showing the popularity of English around the world. More specifically, Chinese students have even been studying English in their primary school. Because of different cultures, histories, and religious, the Chinese and English languages have a multitude of dissimilarities. Chinese students have enormous trouble in learning English. An ESL instructor, to be successful in teaching Chinese students, should understand these profound differences in terms of pronunciation, writing, and grammar.
On the other hand, teachers prefer using L1 for a more effective approach to teaching grammar and checking students’ understanding. Macaro (1997) commented that teachers often lack enthusiasm in using the target language for grammar explanation. Many students have difficulty in learning grammar, especially for those whose L1 system is entirely different from the TL. L1 can be more efficient, particularly when a teacher wants to discuss the learning contract with students, or tries to explore the needs of his/her students, especially those in the lower level (Harmer, 2007). Evidence provided by Harmer (2007) also indicates that the classroom environment can be enhanced through the use of L1 to establish a positive social relationship with students, which ultimately leads to a more effective teaching process.
beginner English as Second Language (ESL) class at the University of Texas. The purpose of this
It is not uncommon to say that grammar instruction plays an important role in language teaching. Regarding the status and importance of grammar teaching, a variety of opinions have been made. Batstone (1994) states that “language without grammar would be chaotic: countless words without the indispensable guidelines for how they can be ordered and modified” (p. 4). More vividly, Wang (2010) makes two similes. She compares grammar to the frame of a house, which is a decisive factor to ensure the solidness of it. Additionally, she regards grammar as a walking stick, whose function is to help and support students to learn English. Thus, the nature of grammar instruction manifests its own significance as it helps students enhance their overall language proficiency by integrating grammar into other aspects of learning, like listening, speaking, reading and writing.
In our modern education system many students are faced with the challenge of learning English as a Second Language (ESL). This can be a difficult transition period for students and a challenge for the educator as well. According to the U.S. Census in 2010 more than 55 million U.S. residents speak a language other than English at home (U.S. Census Bureau), the growing number of students who are learning English as a Second Language forces educators to become familiar with how we acquire and process language and develops new strategies for teaching English as a second language. Learning English as a second language is a barrier that must be overcome if the student is expected to progress through the American education system. It can have definite impacts on learning all other subjects, because if the student doesn’t have a mastery of English mechanics it affects the ability of that student to master other subject areas due to the language barrier.
Students should be able to know grammar well enough to teach it to another as that is a test of proficiency, comprehension, and true understanding. The end goal of grammar instruction is lifelong grammar proficiency and understanding. As an English Instructor, there is a lot to keep in mind in terms of keeping grammar in context. Students should have big takeaways they keep for life from grammar class as writing is essential to everyday life as an adult. And finally, It should
Teaching English to children has become a worldwide phenomenon due to the international expansion of English teaching combined with general commitment of governments worldwide to reduce the starting age of learning English and include it in the curriculum in the primary school (Pinter, 2006, p.3). As English has become the common language in the world, it has also become one of the components of primary and even pre-school education in the English as a Foreign Language teaching contexts. In teaching English to young learners, age plays a crucial role in what we teach and how we teach it, since a young learner class is different from older learner and adult class in terms of the learners’ language learning needs, language competences, and the cognitive skills. It is highly important to show the differences of these three learner groups keeping in mind the fact that every learner is unique and such lists can only reflect generalizations (Harmer, 2007). According to Lynne Cameron (2001, p.1) there are some characteristics of young learners which distinguish young learners with older learners or adult learners. First, children are often more enthusiastic and lively as learners. Second, as a learner children wants to please the teacher rather that their peer group. Third, children can interest to something more quickly and also lose interest more quickly. Fourth, children less able to keep themselves motivated on tasks they find difficult.