In order to design a teaching method several
factors must be taken into account to successfully create a method that is both
personalized to the student as well as broad enough to apply to a
wide spectrum of students. Several aspects to be considered are what the
institution believes to be of value for the students to learn, what the
students themselves deem valuable, how interactions in the classroom would
happen, and how learning outcomes would be assessed. An approach to teaching English
is one that thoroughly weighs all of these aspects and successfully integrates
them to create a method that is both adaptable as well as successful.
The
first aspect that is helpful to consider is the motivations that the students
have for learning the language. This is helpful because it provides the
institution with valuable information as to the subjects and vocabulary that
should be of particular importance while designing a lesson plan. This is not
to say that these will be the only subjects that the lesson plan will cover
because the ultimate goal is that the student has a basic understanding of all
areas of the language, and not just of words and constructs used solely in the
office. Therefore the language institution should aim to provide students with
lexicon that will allow them to discuss topics in many different
situations. This being said, particular importance will be given to the area
that the student deems as important as given by their motivations for learning
the language.
If
a students motivation for learning a language is for business purposes a
different subject matter will have to be introduced than for a student whose
primary motivation for learning a language is for dating. Students who wish to
learn English or any other language for business purposes will need to be taught
different vocabulary as well as more formal expressions than a student whose
motivation is for dating. Although this does not mean that they will be taught
entirely different things. There is obviously some amount of crossover in
vocabulary and well as the general structure of the language between the two
seemingly separate topics. There will be a lot of similar grammar taught in these different
situations because it is important to have a a good grasp on the rules that
govern a language regardless of the motivation for learning the language. This
being said, students must be taught to adopt a much more formal manner of
conversing in the target language in the office than they would while on a
date.In order to teach the students in a manner that will best prepare them to
communicate in their new language it is paramount to know their motivations for
learning the language.
The
next important aspect to consider is the structure of the course and the manner
in which classroom interactions will take place. A structure that focuses on
conversation is best when the ultimate goal of learning the language is being
able to converse in the target language. Therefore the role of the teacher is
to facilitate the conversation and to ensure that the language is spoken
correctly. It is
quite important for a teacher to grade their language depending on the level
that they are teaching. More simple words and sentence structure must be used
to teach a lower level than someone at a higher level. It is important that
both the teacher and the students speak in the language they are trying to
learn. Although it may be quicker to explain to a student in their own language
the meaning of a particular concept; they certainly will not retain the memory
as strongly as if they came to understand it in the target language. In the early phases of learning the language the teacher may have to talk more than in the later stages because the students do not yet have a
large pool of vocabulary from which to draw, but as the students develop a
greater ability to express ideas the role of the teacher may change and they
may speak slightly less because the ultimate goal is that the students spend the
maximum amount of time conversing in the target language while doing so correctly. A
teacher must be careful not to overwhelm students while correcting their
errors, but also must not allow repeated errors to become a pattern. This is a
delicate balance that must be considered and requires considerable practice in
order to master.
The
structure of the class would be based mainly around completing a variety of
different activities that reinforce the concepts being presented. At the lower
levels a larger quantity of activities such as fill in the blank and answering
simple questions would be used. As the students progress to a slightly higher level a larger quantity of activities such as role playing
can be used. Role playing at a higher level is particularly
important because it allows students to interact in a much more dynamic way. In doing
so students are able to develop a fluidity and a more natural manner of speech that will prepare them to use
their new language in many different circumstances.
The
structure of the course must also contain a balanced quantity of the different
language areas: grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and
spelling. If any one of these aspects is missing it will be impossible for the
student to obtain a good
grasp on the language as a whole. In order
to practice and utilize these language areas students will need
to practice listening, speaking, reading and writing as well.
It
is also important to consider the age of the students when designing your approach to teaching the
class; obviously children will not be taught
exactly the same as adults. It is proven that children and adults learn and develop
in slightly different ways and therefore a teaching method must be tailored to
the age of the students. Many activities that children enjoy might seem
childish to adults. Also activities that are meant for adults may be boring for
children. Considering this information a language academy must take special
care to tailor to the needs of different age groups and to separate students by
age group.
Another important theme that must
be integrated into any successful language program is assessment of the
students progress. This assessment does not need to provide the students with
an actual grade but it should be done in order to ensure that students are
progressing at an acceptable rate and that they are being taught at the correct
level. It it also important to access progress in order to ensure that students
in the class are at a similar level of proficiency. If they are not at similar
levels of proficiency than students must be moved to different level classes so
that all students have the ability to progress at the maximum rate possible.
This assessment would also have to take into account the specific goals of the
student. If the student´s goal is to pass a test that requires writing proficiency
than assessing a student´s writing ability is of the utmost importance;
although it should be clarified that this does not mean that only writing
proficiency would be tested, but rather that writing proficiency would receive
more importance when accessing the students proficiency. Assessment of progress
should be done frequently to ensure that students are not falling behind and
that a change in teaching method is not needed.
Not only should the age group of
the students be considered when deciding on the teaching method that should be
used, but also how each student, regardless of their age, best learns. Many
people learn in very diverse but equally effective manners. For example one
student may be a very visual learner and thus the teacher should incorporate
many pictures and videos into the lesson plan. Other students may learn better
while reading texts. Therefore the teacher should utilize whichever form best
suites the students and their needs. This is not to say that students will
simply read texts or watch videos, but rather texts and videos can be used to
spark conversation and present basic material. This shows the importance of
having dynamic teachers that are capable of teaching in many different ways and
changing style as the conditions warrant. The ultimate goal of a language
course is to provide students with the ability to utilize their new language.
Therefore whichever teaching method best aids the student in obtaining this
goal should be utilized.
It
has been shown that there a plethora of factors that must be considered when
designing a teaching approach.If all of theses factors are not concurrently
taken into consideration than successful development of a teaching method is
completely impossible. When designing a method the students goals as a whole
should be heavily weighed and every aspect of the teaching method that is
implemented should be done in the interest of the student having the best
understanding and progressing in their ability as quickly and thoroughly as
possible.