Is there such a thing as a wrong way to learn English?

One adult student I had thought there was – and that he was learning English the wrong way for a long time, before finally ‘cracking’ it. Just before he went on to finally pass the TOEFL test after about 5 or more tries, he blurted out his realization in class one day. “Miss, I think I was learning (English) the wrong way.” And at that point, I couldn’t have agreed with him more.

So in case you are one of those who feel like you are “stuck” in your learning of the English language, or have been at your nth try at TOEFL or any other standardized test of English, stay on. I might have a solution for you!

If you’re a teacher of English and is finding some solutions for your students who seem unable to fully master English for exams or to pass standardized test of English like the TOEFL, the IELTS, etc, stay on. I probably have a solution for you.

So what is the wrong way of learning English?

From many readings I’ve done over the years, from my own experiences learning English as a second language, and from my teaching experiences the last 15 years of my career in international education, I am of the opinion that still, many teachers and learning institutions advocate rote memorization as a way of learning vocabulary (and learning English).

In international schools in Thailand, many of our Japanese and Korean students go to cram school right after school, 5 times a week if they are near their graduation time. The reason? They have to “cram”, literally, for university entrance examination in their home countries. The general practice includes a long list of words, which the students have to memorize. According to the kids, this is a way that they are prepared for TOEFL as well as for entrance tests to universities.

However, looking back into what, to me, were ‘effective’ ways to learn English, memorization of long lists of words just does not pave the way to success. At least, not in what most of the students I’ve had experienced.

What does work?

One important method, which is also advocated by many English language teaching practitioners is learning vocabulary through context. Now, while many of us in the field of teaching may know this like the back of our hand, sometimes, it takes some time for our students to fully grasp its meaning.

While exposing our learners to skills books that teach vocabulary through context, I have always felt there has to be an even better way to it. First, for instance, our students have to OWN their learning. And that their learning of English vocabulary has to be a constant companion, even in their sleep, when it is necessary. As was the case with that adult student I had who was ‘learning English the wrong way’.

The key is in a very simple 3-step program that involves the student’s choice, a manual task, and an environment where the student can “share” his choices and where he gets feedback for his efforts. Once this 3-step program is followed, the learning of English takes on a new meaning for the student. And based on experience, paves the way to more success and towards “owning” one’s learning of the language.

On Friday, we shall give you this 3-step program, which could help you in your learning of the English language, or help your students find the right way to master English! Stay tuned!

Education, particularly in the area of teaching English, constantly evolves and as such, teachers are faced with the challenge of adapting themselves to the ever-changing expectations of the trade.

The call nowadays, is not just for the teacher to hold a university degree on education, but to be more versatile, flexible and able to use a cacophony of tools out there to bring the classroom and the real world into one single field. In other words, tools such as the web’s Youtube, for instance, which many of today’s young learners are familiar with, has to become part of one’s teaching, to be seen to be “keeping with the trends”.

In the past, movies like “Stand and Deliver”, which chronicles how a teacher learns to speak the language of the students to reach them, demonstrate how unconventional teaching methods (and the eternal belief in students’ capabilities) are able to produce results that most would think are impossible to accomplish. One such knowledge nowadays, is how to motivate students to actually be interested, participate and be engaged in the topic/concept a teacher wants to teach.

Our High School students today, for one, have so many distractions. With their Blackberrys, their iPhones, etc., many feel the classroom is just one of those things in life one has to endure…until the bell rings and they’re free to access all the social networks they spend most of their waking hours on.

To illustrate my point, here are a few Youtube sites I’ve used with my classes lately. Below the videos, you will find some ideas on how they could be of use in your classroom, from teaching English, to Social Studies, to Science and World Issues

1. Severn Suzuki, a 13-year-old girl from Canada, speaks at the UN Earth Summit in Brazil in 1992. She silenced the world in 5 minutes as she tells leaders to mend their ways to make sure future generations still have a world to live in.

• I recently used this to open up my classes during Earth Week. This can be used to elicit answers to questions like, “After _____ years, what have government and world leaders who have this speech done towards a better earth for future generations?”
• This can also be used in Science class, where studies on the environment are of relevance, for example.
• This can also be used in a Social Studies class, when discussion is focused on responsibility and accountability of world leaders or on the efficacy of organizations such as the UN is being talked about.2. Craig Kielburger was 12 when he started an international human rights  movement  called Free the children, to help children who are exploited in countries like India, Bangladesh and Thailand. Watch him speak at the Ontario Federation of Labor.

• In an Oral Presentation class, great discussions or brainstorming sessions could start off by having students watch this clip. You can then pose the question, “What makes this speech a good one?”
• In a Service Learning class/Ethics/Character Development, you can make a point about what young people can do if they put their heart into it.  Further talk could focus on traits such as being concerned and caring for others; service beyond self.

These are but a couple of the hundreds upon hundreds of videos available out there, which teachers could make good use of. What I find about these clips is that they never fail to catch students’ attention. In the beginning of class, when students are dragging their feet into your classroom, looking like they would rather be somewhere else other than in the school, learning, turn to these clips for some inspiration. After a few minutes of being transported into the world Youtube, most of the time, they will be ready to listen. By then, you would have gotten their full attention.

As a teacher for many years now, I am no longer focused on questions regarding what topics would I need to teach under the curriculum I have been assigned, or what tools should I be using to deliver the best approach so I can ensure effective teaching strategies. I am not even concerned anymore about putting on a “good show” in case my boss happens to drop in, wanting to watch me teach.

I think, for many of us who have been teaching for a long time, and who have realized that this job is more than just ‘work’, there comes a point where you start thinking of your students as your own children. As such, you would ask yourself, ‘so how do I prepare them for life? What do I do I do in class, so they will take whatever I teach within the four walls of the classroom, into the real world? How do I equip them so they become successful at what they wanted to be in the future

In one workshop on Character Education I attended in Singapore in March 2010, the presenter talked about the teachers’ influence as ‘having no end’. We impact our students in such a way that it can either scar them for life, or strengthen them for what’s in store in the future.

I’ve seen teachers teach so well in class. Yet, once outside the safe confines of the classroom, , where it really matters most, they talk badly about their students. They ridicule, they criticize, and yet, they have the gall to go back into class, and spew meaningless words and pretend they like their students. Such lies! And such hypocrisy.

I may not be the best teacher a student can have, but I do try my best to make my words, whether inside the class or not, to ring with truth. I will never, for example, ask a student to do something I myself, am not prepared to do, or have not even experienced.

It’s been hard to transition from being, simply, an English teacher to a teacher of Values! I thought, “Wow, I must become perfect!” But as I found out these last couple of years, you don’t have to be perfect. You just have to keep it real.

In my Grade 9 class this last quarter, I had my students working on a goal for their final project. They had to think of a character trait they’d like to acquire or get better at. The next 3 weeks, they have to keep a journal of their progress, and do a power point presentation towards the end of the 3-week period. One student, while working in class on this project, asked me, “So Miss Hedda, what IS your goal?”

I said, “To be better organized.” It wasn’t hard to look the student in the eye and tell him that, because just a few days prior, I worked on all of my students’ final projects’ guidelines, timelines and rubrics. It used to be hard for me to get organized for a whole months’ work of course work, but knowing ahead of time that I will require that much planning and work from my kids, I also pushed myself to do more than what I would require of them. And that paid off in the end.

By trying to live by the same guidelines I ask my own students to abide by, I have enough integrity to push them to challenge themselves and work on becoming people of better character. It’s not about perfection. It’s about doing the little things that really matter, on a daily basis.

For more information on this project I have designed for my Grade 9 Values class, click here. It contains guidelines, rubrics and prompts. And when this project is done, I will throw in some reflection on how the whole project went, especially on how it has benefited the students.

Class Information: The class is made up of ten (10) students; 3 girls and 7 boys. Nationalities include: Taiwanese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Thai.

Communication skills are generally good, particularly in speaking and writing. Some problems may arise in listening and reading comprehension, especially for Student E and the new student, Student A, who is still struggling to express ideas in speech.

Energy level is good also and the group has a sense of team work and support.

Possible problems: Discussions could be monopolized by a couple of students, student A and student B who are more verbal than the other students, so care is to be taken so that each student gets a chance to express ideas.

General Aims of the Lesson:
Teacher-Oriented:

• To facilitate better understanding and generate interest on the topic of “Settlements” through discussions with peers.
• To practice reading for details and for gist from texts assigned to groups.
• To promote group cooperation.
• To practice speaking and listening skills through group discussions.

Student-Oriented:
By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

• Use previously learned vocabulary to discuss ideas related to the topic on “Settlements”.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the problems that come about due to the growth and development of settlements as shown in their written group in-class assignment.
• Verbalize some suggestions they have come up with to prevent or stop the problems they discussed in their small groups.

Activities
Review:
Time: 5 min.

• review on previously learned vocabulary as well as important details about the previous sub-topics:

Vocabulary:
rural conurbation
urban decline

Details: Ask students:

What influenced people’s choice as to where to begin settlements in the old days? In the modern days?
What are the common types of settlements?

Pre-reporting task:
Time: 5 min.

• Ask students what they think are the major problems that come about due to the growth of settlements, cities in particular.
• How will these problems affect their families?

• Remind students to take notes during the report. Afterwards, they will get together in small groups to discuss and write answers to the following:

What are the major problems? Name at least 3.
What can you do to prevent/stop them?

Reporting:
Time: 15-20 min.

• Student C, Student D and Student E report on the “Problems that Come About to the Growth and Settlements”
• Other students give 3 comments to praise the group’s effort after the report. They can also ask questions.

Post-Reporting:
Time: 8-10 min.

• discuss and answer the questions on a piece of paper.
• If there is time, discuss with the whole class what solutions they have come up with.

Homework:

What are the major characteristics of a city?
“Characteristics” – things that help you identify or know that a place is a city.

Assessment:

In-class group assignment on the major problems and the possible solutions

Refer to rubric on group report