English is the most commonly used and the fastest developing language on earth. In addition, more and more people are undoubtedly at the present time making English their second language.  So, it is my belief that one hundred years from now, the vast majority of the people on earth should be able to talk with each other for the first time in human history. And the language they will use is English.  English in my opinion is already the world's dominant language. It has been said that 60-70 new 'Englishes' have emerged since the 1960s in countries across the globe. Currently, there are an estimated 400 million people who speak English as a first language and 7-800 million people who speak English as a second language. Around a billion more speak English as a foreign language. This means that now there is just one native speaker to every five non-native speakers of English.  This is an unprecedented situation in the history of languages.

When you hear the word language,  what definition comes to mind? The ability to speak.  Communication. The definition of language in English by Oxford Dictionaries is as follows:

NOUN

1.  [mass noun] The method of human communication, either spoken or written, consisting of the use of words in a structured and conventional way.

The purpose of my essay is to express to you my thoughts on language and what methods and approaches I will use to teach a English as a second language.  

Let’s begin with the theory of Cognitivism.  It is a learning theory that focuses on the processes involved in learning rather than on the observed behaviour. It focuses more on the internal processes and connections that take place during learning.  Cognitivism involves examining learning, memory, problem solving skills, and intelligence.  Cognitive strategies are one type of learning strategy that learners use in order to learn more successfully. These include repetition, organising new language, summarising meaning, guessing meaning from context, using imagery for memorisation.  When putting Cognitive theories into application I choose to use the Direct Method or Natural Method when teaching students.  There are many methods that are being used and there is no right or wrong method.  However, in my opinion the Direct Method is better suited for teaching a foreign language.  It refrains from the use of the learner’s native language and only uses the target language.   This form of teaching was established in Germany and France around 1900 and it contrast with the Grammar-Translation Method and other traditional approaches.  This type of method is used in many international language schools as well as language departments of the Foreign Service Institute of the U.S. State Department.

When facilitating my classes I tend to use the Inductive Approach to teaching. This allows the students to give examples and they learn to find rules, and hence is more learner-centred by intrinsic motivation.  As for learners that may have difficulties I do realize that I may have to use a Deductive Approach which gives learners rules, then examples, then practice. It is more of a teacher-centred approach to presenting new content.  

I recognize that there are cons to the Direct Method.  It doesn’t have a strong focus on teaching grammar.  It is also difficult for a learner to connect words from their native language to the target language .  It could be difficult for learners because of the complexity of the learning. So, I have found being a teacher you have to be able to adapt your style of teaching to the learning needs of your student.  You have to access where they are in their learning and build upon their current level of learning ability.

I firmly believe in Direct Method teaching simply because my goal is to help the student develop perfect command of English.  I believe that not only will it help the student with fluency, it also allows the student to utilize macro skills, which are reading, writing, speaking and listening.  

Learning a language is a cognitive process by which we communicate our thoughts and feelings to others.  Macro skills are interrelated and affect one another. There is a fundamental and reciprocal relationship among oral language (listening and speaking), written language, and reading. Initially, reading and writing are dependent on oral language skills. Eventually, reading and writing extend oral language.  

When teaching my students I feel that it is imperative that my syllabus reflects my thoughts and theories when it comes to teaching a second language.  The materials should contain many realia examples, materials that the students can relate too.

In my classroom it is important that it reflect principles from cognitive theories that include meaningful learning, organization, and elaboration.  As a teacher I am the creator of the environment where there are lots of manipulative activities and tools where they can develop an understanding.  I believe as a teacher it’s important to ask questions to help my students refine their thinking and recognize where they may be wrong. I also believe that in a classroom setting whether it be in person or online, as a teacher I must prepare relevant activities that include review and revision, class vocabulary, use of the scaffolding approach with young learners, analysis and discussion of language and topics.  As mentioned earlier, my goal is to get my students speaking English.

This will be accomplished by upholding the following principles:

• Classroom instruction which will be conducted exclusively in the target language.

• Only every day vocabulary and sentences will be taught.

• Oral communication skills will be focused on and built up in a carefully graded sequence placed around question and answer interactions involving myself and students in small and interactive class settings.

• Grammar will be taught inductively.

• Concrete vocabulary will be taught by using real life objects and pictures and abstract vocabulary will be taught by connecting various ideas.

• Correct pronunciation and grammar will be one of my main focuses.

I also believe that listening helps to internalize the language system and thereby my students will acquire language.  As mentioned before by listening to a language a learner not only will learn to comprehend listening inputs but also will be able to improve his/her macro skills.

It has been said that people learn by building on prior knowledge.  Taking that into account before every activity, I will be sure to link new content to what my students already know to get them motivated.

I will encourage my students by keeping contact with them.  As mentioned earlier I feel it builds rapport and they will feel that they can trust me and communicate with me confidently.  I will help my students build vocabulary so that they could start applying it. It is important to creatively apply what the student is learning to their everyday life so they can always remember and associate it to what they learn.  Communicating my goals to the student and setting expectations that are attainable. I want my students to feel encouraged to excel at their work. However, before any of that can happen it is essential that I understand my students learning ability.

Once my students have been accessed it makes the choosing of the lessons to teach easier.

It’s important to be prepared and have organized material so that the student doesn’t become overwhelmed and frustrated.  They have to want to learn so it is important to have subjects that are age appropriate for the student.

In short, I think there are two sides to teaching: one is personality relationships, role modeling and perhaps discipline - which is a sort of motivation; the other is about activity and process and in my opinion activity and process is what teaching really is. 

The Future of English has entered into a time that is in an age of information technology, and there is hardly any sphere of human activity that has been left untouched by computers.  Computers have revolutionized data storage and retrieval and have added a new dimension to educational technology.  Technology cannot replace the teacher in the classroom, but can lend assistance to facilitate learning.  Computer lessons address all the skill areas-listening, speaking, reading and writing.  It also makes distance learning possible as well as convenient. 

Language laboratories can be set up with equipment that provides individual learner with a headset.  The advantages of computers in language teaching are that they can control presentation.  Computers combine visual and graphic information with text.  It can highlight features using color and movement.  Computers can provide novel and creative stimuli for learning.  New language can be created in an interactive mode.  Computers can provide immediate feedback.  This can be used for error correction.  Computers can also help in error-analysis however, it's adaptability helps teachers to adopt instructional materials to suit the needs of the students.

However, with all that said when I think of Future of English, I think of myself. I am the Future of English because I am the here and now, I am the innovator of my own creativity.  I am the Teacher. I add experience, expertise, personality, compassion and variety to a class in a way that a computer never could.