This weeks readings in the H.D. Brown book discussed the integration of the 4 skills necessary for communication in any language (listening, speaking, reading, writing) Special attention was given to the importance of the whole language approach. This approach appeals to all or at least two of the skills mentioned above.
The book gave different models of integration that can be used in the ESL/EFL classroom. As I read I kept thinking, "This model is my favorite and the one I will use when I teach". I found myself thinking that on almost every model I read about. What I liked about the readings in the H.D. Brown book was the examples of how each model could be executed. For example, with respect to the Integrated Lesson an entire lesson plan was outlined on how this model may work in a real classroom.
I like the idea of theme teaching, although I get the idea that H.D.Brown believes there are better models to follow. That leads me to say that I like the thought of teaching a different subject matter while not concentrating on the actual language itself. As a foreign language learner of Spanish, I find that I learn much better when I am relaxed. That is to say, when I am not concentrating on the mistakes I will make I speak a lot more and without fear. Perhaps some of my NN classmates could weigh in on this. I wonder how they learned English best and while in the TESL classes are they still enhancing their English proficiency? Because the TESL classes are not focusing on their English, do they feel they are improving their English even more? All good questions I will ask my classmates.
Another point in the chapter that I found to be quite interesting is the discussion of dialogue within the text books. The example of Jack and Tony is actually quite boring and predictable. That is somewhat of a regression for the students' literacy skills because as I learned in Dr. Stoynoff's literacy class, a good reader makes predictions. Well, how can a student make a prediction when the outcome is spoon-fed to them. I like the idea of students having to formulate guesses while reading. In fact, to this day I still remember when I heard a dialogue in my Span 102 class that was very unexpected! It was a video of about 5 students travelling throughout Mexico. It showed the interactions between the students and their host mom. At first it was all pleasantries which meant I was not really listening. Then, my attention was grabbed as all of a sudden this sweet old lady starts yelling at the students! She was angry because, "El dormitorio estaba todo desordenado por los estudiatnes!" (The bedroom was messed up by the students!) I will never forget that and that was about 3 years ago. I think we should never underestimate the power of intrigue in a classroom.
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I found all the four skills necessary for communication very well explained in this chapter. It is important as a teacher to be able to incorporate these skills into many different lesson plans.
ReplyDeleteWell, to answer your questions, i would say in the TESL class i am an English learner and a student teacher at the same time, and that gives me a lot of advantages as well as pressures. On one hand, i can practice almost the 4 skills when preparing for and attending the class without noticing that i am actually doing it, as with the theme-based and content-based approaches. So far i can say learning how to teach English in English greatly helps me improve my language abilities.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, since i was not born into the English environment, there are times i question myself if i am capable enough to teach English to my students when i myself still do not know enough about the language and its cultural implications. However, as indicated in the Apple book: being teachers does not mean to stop learning, i'll try my best to be able to improve my language skills along the way and be a good language source for my students.