1.

VIEWS ON LANGUAGE LEARNING

Some people learn language naturally without class instruction. On the other hand, many
people do not learn it in spite of being taught.

Why do NOT students learn? There are many reasons:

- Lack of motivation (teachers would say)

- Students complain lessons are boring, and they get depressed when they lose marks
because they make mistakes.

- In large classes, it’s difficult to give individuals enough chance to use the language
naturally.

- Adults feel shy about talking in front of the class.

- Exams that are based on grammar often result in a lot of direct grammar teaching
(focus on form) rather than in communicating meaning.

Some experts believe there’s a critical period: Children who begin to learn a language
before puberty will learn better. After puberty it is more difficult to attain native-like
fluency and pronunciation

Simply starting early does not guarantee that a language will be learnt. Effective
language teaching must be age-appropriate.

- Young children need immersion, which imitates growing up with a language.

- Older students require grammar and structure along with meaning and interaction.
Language is not learnt first and used later. You learn a language when you use it. Children
acquire grammar and vocabulary in context, when using the language to do things that are
necessary and meaningful for them.

Language is not a prerequisite for communication but a by-product of

communication.

Even advanced students sometimes make errors such as his husband, she work… even
when they know these simple rules. Students need a lot of exposure to such features and
opportunities to get to use them correctly.

- Explanation of rules only helps if the learner has sufficient experience of the target
language to make sense of it.
- Sometimes, there may be no need for explanations at all.

We do not know when each individual learner might be ready for a given grammar feature.
Therefore, classtime must be spent:

- Increasing exposure: provide more examples of patterns that learners may

recognise (to expand the repertoire of useful words and phrases); and
- Getting students to use the language

Teachers should adapt their language level to their students’ needs. However,

- Language difficulty is often not a matter of linguistic complexity but of frequency.

- Language items that appear frequently in varied contexts are learnt more easily, even
when they are grammatically complex.

Teachers should plan their teaching considering children’s interests and everyday
activities, and not by following a grammar syllabus.

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Free use involves a wide variety of language and gives learners richer opportunities for
acquiring. A TBL (Task-based Learning) framework aims to provide opportunities for
learners to experiment, both with spoken and written language. Every time we try to speak
or write in a language, even with errors, we are thinking in that language and developing our
communicative skills.

Many students say that they will not risk speaking in or outside the class because they are
afraid of making mistakes or being corrected in public.

● Private performance (activity in pairs)

○ It aims to build confidence and fluency.
○ Teachers usually do NOT correct.
● Public performance (preparing an oral presentation, or a piece of writing for public
display)
○ Students must be challenged to be accurate.
○ This helps to consolidate and improve the language.

Correction must be made in a very positive way

English teaching in schools can be bad but also very good. Schools need good teachers and
a good methodology adapted to the characteristics of children to be successful.

The “normal” school environment is not the most adequate for children’s language learning
process: a context with limited communication opportunities and very limited exposure time,
with only one adult interlocutor for a big group of new-speakers.

Academies offer more hours of exposure and more opportunities for interaction is smaller
groups. However, they are not always effective, especially with younger children.

Motivation and the need to communicate are the main foundations for learning a
language. Nevertheless, just having fun and enjoyment does not guarantee learning. We
need carefully planned activities that also take into account the grammar needed to carry
them out.

Following J. Cummins’ “Iceberg theory” (1979), we know that languages have many aspects
in common and that they are interdependent. Knowledge and skills are transferred from one
language to the others. Therefore, multilingual people develop their general language
capacities more than monolingual people. Learning more and better English can be
beneficial for Basque as long as children have enough communication opportunities and
exposure to develop properly in this language. Schools need to analyse their language
environment and make their own language plan “Hizkuntza proiektua” to ensure a benefit for
all languages.

Reading is an excellent way of extending vocabulary, learning new phrases, and

consolidating grammar. Reading is more controllable than listening; it allows time for
reflection:

- You can read fast or slow.

- You can go back and read things again.

People of all intellectual abilities can successfully learn another language. If we recreate
natural learning conditions in the classroom, all learners will learn. High-quality teaching can
cancel out aptitude differences.

Features of good learners:

- They have strong reasons for learning the language.

- They look for opportunities to use the target language and make maximum use of
them.
- They supplement natural study with conscious study (e.g. keeping a notebook for
new words).
- They respond positively to learning situations, avoiding anxiety and inhibitions.
- They are prepared to experiment with language (take risks).
 According to Jane Wills, the optimum conditions for language learning are divided in
two types: “Essential” ones and “Desirable” ones.

Essential conditions are those that are required in the process of learning a
language; they are three:

(1) exposure to a rich a comprehensible input of a real spoken and written language
use,

(2) the use of the language to do things (communicate); and

(3) motivation to listen and read the language and to speak and write it (to process
and use the exposure).

The desirable one is instruction in languages (chances to focus on form).

2. SONGS
a. A new teacher argues that she does not like using songs in the classroom because
she is not a talented singer. What would you tell her about the relevance of songs in
the classroom? Can you explain her the benefits of songs for language learning?

Songs are motivating linguistic resources that allow new language to be introduced,
vocabulary to be reinforced, etc. They help to improve all aspects of pronunciation and to
develop all skills in an integrated way. Songs are also a psychological/affective resource, as
they motivate students and help to develop positive attitudes towards language. In addition,
songs can help improve children's confidence and group identity. In the same way, songs
help develop cognitive features such as concentration, memory and coordination, and
important features of pronunciation can be practiced in a very natural way.

b. Brewster mentions specific pronunciation benefits of using songs, rhymes and

chants in her book (Brewster, J., Ellis, G., & Girard, D. (1992). The primary English
teacher’s guide. Reading and writing, 110, 9. ). Can you mention some of them?

According to Brewster, the use of songs has several benefits in pronunciation:

- songs and rhymes are useful for showing what happens to sounds in connected
speech (ex: by simplifying complicated consonant clusters).

- allow a natural practice of stress and rhythm -- more important features of

pronunciation (ex: clap the beat as they go along,...).

- intonation can be practiced, specially, in rhymes.

- promote ear training, as pupils need it to distinguishing between different aspects of

English pronunciation (ex: ask the pupils to listen and count how many times an
individual sound or word occurs in a song or rhyme, ask the pupils to listen and
discriminate by checking whether rhythmic or intonation patterns are the same or
different...)

Why use songs?

A linguistic resource

● They allow new language to be introduced and structures and vocabulary to be

reinforced and recycled

● They present familiar language in new and exciting forms and in a rich, imaginative
context

● They provide for lots of natural and enjoyable repetition

● They can be used to develop all skills in an integrated way

● They help improve all aspects of pronunciation

A psychological/affective resource

● They are motivating and fun and help develop positive attitudes towards the target
language

● They are non-threatening and the more inhibited child will feel secure when singing
and chanting as a class or in groups
 ● They can encourage a feeling of achievement and build children's confidence by
allowing children to learn chunks of language which they can 'show off or teach to
mends or to members of the family

A cognitive resource

● They help to develop concentration, memory and coordination

● They sensitize children to rhyming clues as aids to meaning

● Repetition enables children to predict what comes next and to consolidate language
items

● Accompanying actions or gestures help to reinforce meaning, while channelling high

levels of energy in a positive way

● The variety they provide changes the pace and atmosphere of a lesson and caters
for different learning styles

● They can be compiled into song/rhyme books to help children develop good study
habits

A cultural resource

● They are from authentic sources and can contribute to the cultural component of a
language programme. Children can be encouraged to compare with those in their
own language.

A sodal resource

● Singing and chanting together is a shared social experience and helps to develop a
class and group identity

● They can be used as the basis for a performance or show

Pronunciation benefits of using songs, rhymes and chants

Individual sounds and sounds in connected speech: Songs and rhymes are useful for
showing what happens to sounds in connected speech

Stress and rhythm: Encouraging children to clap the beat as they go along or say rhymes will
help to develop a sense of rhythm in English. . weak forms, where the pronunciation of a
word differs according to whether it is stressed or· unstressed, occur regularly in songs and
rhymes.

Intonation

Ear training
When and how to use songs, rhymes and chants

Songs, rhymes and chants can be used in many different ways: as warmers, as a transition
from one activity to the next, closers, to introduce new language, to practise language, to
revise language, to change the mood, to get everyone's attention, to channel high levels of
energy or to integrate with storytelling, topic work or cross-curricular work.

- Set the context (explain purpose, background information)

- Pre-teach any necessary vocabulary using visual aids, actions, realia, puppets, focus
questions, etc.

- Play on cassette or sing or chant to allow children to listen, show understanding,

familiarize themselves with the rhythm, tune, etc.

- Do further listening activity

- Work on pronunciation awareness, for example, identifying intonation patterns,

stressed words or syllables, etc.

- Invite children to listen, repeat and practise by joining in and learning to sing or chant.
Encourage children to use actions, mime, drama, etc. Practise several times.

- Give a written record ·of text: children can adapt or write their own version; listen and
complete a simple gap fill; listen and sequence - children scan written phrases and
put them in order; listen and sort - children have the words from two songs mixed up
together ancl., as they listen, they sort out the lines into two groups; match pictures
and lines, illustrate verses, make collages to contextualize, for example, on the
beach, etc.

- Encourage children to compare with a similar type in their own language

- Present or perform as a whole class, in groups, in rounds, in pairs, or if there is a

question and answer sequence in the song, for example, There's a Hole in my
Bucket, one part can be sung by half the class, the second part by the other half.

Adapting songs, rhymes and chants

Building up a repertoire of songs, rhymes and chants

3. TEACHER TALKING TIME

a. What is the essential information a teacher must give to the students when
explaining an activity? List four elements.

When explaining an activity a teacher must give to the students this 4 elements:

- Why they are doing the activity

- Who they are going to be working with

- What are they going to be doing

- How much time do they have

b. Is “Do you understand?” an appropriate question to check students’
comprehension after a teacher gives the instructions for an activity? If affirmative,
provide another example. If negative, explain why and provide a different example.

Using "do you understand?" is not an appropriate way to know if students have understood
the instructions for an activity. By asking that question, students may answer yes or no
without knowing and understanding the instructions.

Therefore, to know if they have understood it, we must ask questions where the student has
to make a "summary" of the instructions, that is, where the student has to create the answer.
These may be, “What do you have to do?” or “How many sentences do you have to write?”

c. Are students a resource to explain the activities in a more appropriate way? How?

Yes, students can be a valuable resource for explaining activities in a more appropriate way.
By involving students in the planning and execution of activities, they can provide feedback
and insight into what works well and what doesn't.

This can help educators tailor their approach to better meet the needs and preferences of
their students. Additionally, students can serve as peer educators, helping to explain
concepts and activities in a way that resonates with their classmates. This can foster a
collaborative learning environment and create a sense of ownership and investment in the
learning process.

d. When explaining instructions it is always a good idea to introduce new vocabulary,

advanced grammar structures (of a higher level than the students you are teaching)
and phrasal verbs and expressions. The idea is that Teacher talking Time is not only
an opportunity to explain but listening practice for students. Example: Now, may I
have your attention? Please, stop the ruckus. I would politely request that you open
the book on page 78 and complete the task displayed”. Is this true or false. Explain
your answer.

One of the potential problems when giving instructions is the level of speech, that is, how the
teacher talks.

- Instructions should be gived step by step (one instruction at a time) and in a

organized way.

- They should not contain complex word or expressions because they are too difficult
for children.

- Easy language should be used – pharsal verbs are not easy in English, they are too
complex for children. The same for advanced grammar structures (such as modals,
conditionals) – Instructions should be simple and specific.

- The teacher should give them with examples, modeling it.

- Moreover, he/she should wait for the students to do what he said.

e. Is this an appropriate explanation: “Listen everybody, you are going to open your
book on p 56, and go to activity 3. You will read the text, write a brief summary and
then answer the questions, you have 15 minutes.”. What is missing?

- It has not put any examples in order to understand the activity.

- It is not precise how they have to work, in pairs, in teams, individually..

- It does not assure the comprehension of students, if they have understood the task ,
making yes/no questions.

4. COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING APPROACH

Why did this approach originate? In reaction to what?

It’s an approach which developed as a reaction away from exclusively grammar focused
approaches to teaching that really gave priority to accuracy and to the sentence as the unit
of presentation and practice in the classroom.

What’s the goal of language learning?

Communicative Language Teaching argues, of course, that the goal of language learning is
communicative competence.

How do you develop communicative competence?

And that we develop communicative competence through making communication the focus
of the classroom. That we learn a language through communication, that language is the
by-product of using a language to communicate.

Which kind of activities are used?

In order to do this, activities have to be developed that enables students to practice

communicating in different ways according to the language proficiency level. Through tasks,
through focusing on role-plays, through information sharing activities… Activities of that kind
which require students to draw on their communicative resources and to try to make
communication possible in the classroom.

How would you summarize what communicative language teaching is?

So, Communicative Language Teaching is essentially a set of general principles that refers
to how communication can be the focus of teaching and learning. And which attributes the
acquisition of communicative competence to providing opportunities for students to practice
communicating through the classroom materials.

Is there only one way to apply the communicative language teaching principles?

Communicative Language Teaching is alive in the world today. It has taken different forms in
recent years. In some contexts has lead to what we call task-based teaching, has lead to
text-based teaching, or in others has lead to content-based teaching, which I’ll talk about in
other podcasts, but the principles of Communicative Language Teaching I think that are alive
in the world and are still important for us to consider today.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dhclV_BcuBV853EFHJzxvVnF2DoF7egp/view?usp=drive_lin
k

Implications for methodology

Learners learn a language through the process of communicating in it. Communication that
is meaningful to the learner provides a better opportunity for learning than a grammar-based
approach.

Check the possible questions of the exam