Sarah Lou Mae Pama-Naringahon September 6, 2020

ELT 204

1. Define language as an art, a science, a culture, and as a philosophy.

Language as an art - Art can be applied to language learning because when learning a language,
arts can be used as a medium to work with different ideas and concepts. For example, poetry can
help a student learning a second language to work towards making sense of his or her
surroundings. Poetry provides a structure through which the student can apply their observations
while actively working with a knowledge base and constructing understandings of nature through
an art form. This way, the person can apply his or her observations in an imaginative manner, all
while developing vocabulary, improving comprehension, and thinking in the new language. With
art, learning foreign languages goes beyond grammar – students are also able to develop an
appreciation for art and language as well as the rich culture and history the language holds. As a
language of expression, art gives rise to many voices and opens many paths to work with
knowledge. When properly applied, the arts can play a vital role in stimulating creativity all
while acting as a catalyst for learning, discovery, and achievement.
Language as science - introduces the idea of thinking scientifically about language by making
empirical observations rather than judgments of whether language used is correct or not. The
science of language is what is known as linguistics. Humans’ language ability is different from
all other species’ communication systems, and linguistics is the science that studies this unique
ability
Language as culture – Language and culture are intertwined. A particular language usually
points out to a specific group of people. When you interact with another language, it means that
you are also interacting with the culture that speaks the language. You cannot understand one’s
culture without accessing its language directly. Language and culture developed together and
influenced each other as they evolved. They go hand in hand, whether it is folklore of a certain
nation or simple day-to-day talk. Logically, there is a certain kind of relationship between
language and culture. After all, both of these often define a person, their views, traditions, habits,
and pretty much almost everything about their daily life.

. 

Language as philosophy – Philosophy of language refers to an area of philosophy concerned

with the syntactic properties as well as the meaning and reference of linguistic expressions, the
things implied or indicated by linguistic expressions and the attributes of linguistic expressions
as a function of linguistic and conversational contexts.

2. Create a graphic organizer that shows the important points of the different teaching methods.
 inductive approach to grammar
classroom instruction was
conducted in the target language

Direct Method

only everyday vocabulary was

classroom instruction was
taught and taught through pictures
conducted in the target language
and objects
 new material is dependency on little or no
presented through mimicry, grammatical
memorization of set of
dialogue form explanation
phrases and
overlearning

AUDIOLINGUAL
METHOD

great importance successful responses

little or no attached to are reinforced
grammatical pronunciation
explanation

3. How should language be taught? Give three basis for your answer.

We can teach language through a number of different approaches. I strongly believe that a
language teacher should not necessarily rely on just one approach and stick with it throughout
his/her teaching career. But combine different approaches which would best fit the group of
learners he/she is handling.

One of which is to teach it using the Direct Method by which the teacher’s role is to constantly
encourage the students to participate in class. This way the teacher can assign conversational
activities in class which would help in developing the students’ communication skills.

Another way to teach language is to teach it traditionally (Grammar Translation Method),

which is not entirely bad if mixed with other approaches. In this approach, the teacher plays a
role of initiator of interaction in the language classroom. The role of teacher also seems like a
facilitator and give practices to students focus on exercises translating sentences or texts from
mother tongue to the target language and vice versa.
Another approach that can be used in teaching language is the TPR Method. This method helps
the learners be engaged in the lesson as they learn by doing the activities given by the teacher.
Classes here are more practical than theoretical and there is playful learning which a lot of the
students nowadays look forward to.

4. How can teachers promote language learning in the new normal?

The role for teachers is to help students build bridges between their known and familiar ways of
using language and academic ways of using language. With that, teachers can use different
activities geared towards online learning and make use of familiar social media platforms which
would promote language learning.
As teachers, we can create engaging blended learning activities combining language apps and
video lessons in the face of new challenges. Teachers can further develop the e-learning field by
combining established tools and approaches with new innovations. Teachers and students alike
can rethink not only traditional methods of teaching and learning but also think of education
more broadly and the role of the digital world within this field.