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The practice of English language teaching final assignment
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University of Leeds
Student ID number 201076115 Degree programme Erasmus (School of Languages, Cultures and Societies – Italian) Module code EDUC Module title The Practice of English Language Teaching Essay Title Teaching English Lexis in a Multilingual Children Class Word count 4247
Introduction When I first heard that I had to participate to a Micro-Teaching activity, I was highly nervous and anxious. I never had a teaching experience, therefore that would have been the first time I had taught in a class, even if in a fictional one. I did not know what to do and what to except from this activity, and I was worried I would be completely useless. However, all my worries vanished when I first met my group. Pre-Teaching I met my group three times. We did not know each other; however, we were on the same wave-length from the beginning. My group was formed by four girls from different nationalities (Spanish, Cypriot, Uruguayan and I am Italian), therefore each of us had a totally different background and different ways of thinking. In our first meeting, we had to decide our context, who would be our students and what to teach them. First, we had to decide what to teach (grammar, lexis, or pronunciation) and we opted for teaching English lexis because we could use many more activities. Then, after several ideas, we decided the context: young multilingual children refugees (from six to eight years old) in an after-school class. The number of not English speaker children in UK is rapidly increasing in these years, and because of their young age they can easily become ‘bilingual’, that is, even if they do not learn English language from birth, they can still acquire a native-speaker language proficiency. An extremely helpful method in this age is teaching them vocabulary, as it is considered to be a meaningful bellwether of other language skills (Mahon and Crutchley, 2006). Therefore, ‘emergent bilinguals’ (Gregory,1998, cited in Mahon and Crutchley, 2006), as young migrant children can be, have to learn as much vocabulary as possible. Then, we had to decide what activity to do and how to present vocabulary to our students. We focused on the importance of meaning and on words which could be easily memorised by them (Thornbury, 2002). As Davis (2012) suggests, a good way of presenting vocabulary is to show it with actions and gestures that can help students first understand and then memorise it. Moreover, using gestures teachers will easily hold students’ attention, especially in this age when they can be distracted by everything. Another good choice is the use of flashcards in order to create a connection between pictures and words (Davis, 2012). Furthermore, we wanted to motivate and let them enjoy the session, as this would
Stage Procedure (What teacher does) Tasks (What students do) Interaction Aims Time 1 - Song All of us Teach and model the song in different speeds Name and touch the different parts of the body as they sing “Head and shoulders” T - S Get into context. Review vocabulary and introduce more vocabulary by singing a song 4 mins 2 - Puzzle Inés Give out the pieces of the puzzle though a guessing game Monitor the students´ understanding Give out the names of the parts of the body Name the different parts of the body Make the puzzle Match the parts of the body with their name
and S - S Recognize the parts of the body Identify the written word parts of the body 5 mins 3 - Dress up Giulia Maria Put the items on the table, ask S to choose one item and put it on Giulia’s body Put props on different parts of Giulia’s body
and S- S Explaining what S are doing Using the vocabulary S already know Doing an activity which requires understanding of the vocabulary used 5 mins 4 - Drama body activity Rafaella Give the instructions for the activity and tells S when they have to freeze and touch S move around the classroom, then T tells S to freeze, one S1 touches S2’s body part and S2 says the name
and S - S Confirm the learning process S get the immediacy of oral language production 4 mins
the others of the body part 5 - Exercise Giulia T puts the cards (some with only the words and some with only the picture) on the floor T tells S to match words with body parts S turns the cards and match them
and S- S Assess S learn the vocabulary Recognize images with written words 5 mins CONTEXT Nationality: Multilingual students (refugees) Age: 6 to 8 Level: Beginners Place: Leeds (UK) Programme: ESOL Afternoon class (outside schools) Lesson: mid-term class, 1st lesson about body parts As it can be seen, all the activities were games, there were used home-made pictures and the children had to move, and we know how these features could be advantageous for teaching to children (Ur, 1996). At the end of the second meeting, all of us had everything clear. We were extremely cooperative to each other (I propose to help one of my colleague in her activity), we were also very glad to work together. We decided to meet one last time and do a “rehearsal” of the lesson. It was fast and very funny, we could not wait to do the lesson for real. While-Teaching When I arrived in the class, I was very nervous, but then, when the lesson started, I felt very calm. I knew what I had to do and when, we were all extremely organized and well prepared. I helped my Spanish colleague in her activity, basically I had to stand up in front of our ‘students’ and be dressed up by them. Moreover, I also was there for helping my students and my other colleagues in the other activities. My activity was the last and the shortest one. I explained to my students what they had to do and then I helped them completing the game. I asked them to work together or
o Maybe teachers had to give more examples, in order to make explanations simpler. Also, make sure students know the instructions o Technology could be added o Not too much new vocabulary, some of it was too difficult and some too easy to learn o Maybe more context could be given, such as a story telling at the end o Maybe a non-interactive activity could be included o Check more children’s individual understanding o Music in the last activity o Unsure about the touching exercise, schools have no touching policies in place. Also, this may confuse children about personal space boundaries o It is important to say what/why we are learning today o More pair activities In general, we received a positive feedback both from our colleagues and from Loreto. We managed to make adults behave like children in difficult circumstances in an afterschool class. We did not explain in detail our context, for example in which country we were, therefore the comment about the touching activity has to be considered only in the UK context. I would definitely try to use more technology, perhaps showing them a video or another song. Moreover, a story telling activity is an excellent idea, it could be the perfect end for a lesson. Focusing on my experience, I saw the recording video and I saw a new part of me. I was in total control, not shy (as I always am) but firmly and helpful, and I hope my ‘students’ say the same confidence in me. Conclusion It was an extremely pleasant and educational activity for me. I know I learnt very much from it, and one of the most important element, I think, is to be in control of the situation but let students be autonomous. It can be helpful for my future activities as I am intended to work with children, therefore it gave many suggestions to what to do in future.
Introduction As my micro-teaching was based on teaching English vocabulary (specifically body parts) to multilingual children, the following discussion will analyse the main challenges involved in teaching this topic in this specific context. As the number of non-native English speakers in UK schools is growing from year to year, this is a very important and current issue (Mallows, 2012). Città and Collerone (2013) underline the importance of expose children from two to nine years old to the several aspects of that language and thus make them become ‘bilingual’. However, some teachers can have several difficulties in teaching vocabulary to multilingual children. Main Challenges It is not easy to teach a language in a heterogenous context such as a multilingual children class. First, they all have different backgrounds, they can speak different languages and know the English language very good, or not know it all. Usually migrant students tend to use a narrow range of vocabulary, and use items they are absolutely sure are correct. Therefore, they might not be open-minded in learning new lexis. Second, they are children, and this is already a complex issue. They can be distracted very easily, they cannot pay attention to the teacher and prefer to play all together. They cannot feel confident in speaking in front of the class, therefore they can simply use gestures or point to an object for being easily understood. Thus, teachers need to create a safe space where children can improve their language using their previous knowledge, that is, teachers have to focus on identity investment. Doing so, students will feel qualified and self-confident and this will lead to future proficiency (Mallows, 2012). Another important problem regarding teaching vocabulary to young children is how they imbibe it. In fact, children usually have a bigger receptive vocabulary, that is the lexical items they only recognize but are not able to use (López Campillo, 1995), than a productive one, in other words the lexical items they can understand and are able to use (Mallows, 2012). Thus, it can be highly helpful for them to create a vocabulary network, that is a system of all the items they know. And here there is the main challenge, I think, in learning vocabulary: memory. In order to create a ‘mental lexicon’, a space where all the knowledge of that item (form, meaning, pronunciation, how and where to use it) is present, children, and students in general, have to practice their memory. A good way is repetition, and this is what we tried to do throughout our micro-teaching;
language learning. New generation children are more disposed to new technologies and most of them already have what it is called ‘digital literacy’. Hence, they will easily learn how to use a computer or a mobile device, enjoy the activity and also learn a language. They can play an online game or simply watch a video, or they can actively use that device, creating something altogether. For example, an extremely entertaining and educative activity can be the creation of a video by all the students, perhaps creating a story. And this brings me to another excellent activity I could use in facilitating memory: the use of storytelling. It can be a fairy tale or a traditional story of the country, hence children will learn more about their host society. It can be a story invented by the teacher, or even a story created by the students. Hence, this activity not only will promote vocabulary memorisation, but also their increase of cognitive and productive skills. Moreover, storytelling can be considered as a multitasking activity: it is a speaking activity, as children can be asked to repeat some sentences or to tell aloud their own stories; it can be a writing activity, for example if the teacher asks students to write their own story; finally, it can be a reading activity, both together with the teacher or by themselves. Besides, together with vocabulary, students may learn also the grammar of some sentences structures. Lastly, children will learn the vocabulary ‘in context’ (Abasi and Soori, 2014) and not a merely list of items. Another method, developed by Città and Collerone (2013), is the creation of a software to learn English. They are developing a software that will use a corpus of spontaneous conversations between English native speakers as a database with the aim of using it in English teaching. Younger children will get in contact with English language in their very first period of learning, and this can also enhance the possibility of becoming ‘bilingual’. As they will listen real conversations of English speakers, they will surely learn more than using textbooks or listening Italian teachers speaking English. Hence, this software can truly change the way English teaching is made in Italy. Poetry can be also used in teaching vocabulary. Finch (2003) suggests using poetry, which can be also music lyrics, in English teaching. There are many types of poetry, and some of them can be more appropriate for a certain kind of students. Regarding children, picture poems, where ‘words are arranged to make a shape’ (Finch, 2003) can be extremely useful, because they enhance creativity and they can also be entertaining. Children will use their imagination both in developing their own story and in writing it. Surely this method can be used if children are able to write, perhaps
it can be too hard for 6-8 years-old children. However, if the teacher introduces this activity in the very first lessons, this can be also useful for students’ literacy. Finally, students can bring their personal experiences and lives into the class, thus felling to be a part of the classroom and not ‘outsiders’. And this is extremely important, especially for migrant children. Conclusion This module has been very helpful for me as I learned how to teach all the aspects of a language, to consider primarily my students’ background knowledge and try to always motivate them. This is particularly true for children, and mainly for multilingual children. They may have traumatic experiences, they may be in difficult situations, therefore I have the duty, as their teacher, to help them and guide them through their learning. In fact, teachers should be both giver and guides, that is they have to find a balance between teach students describing the language and let them passively ‘absorb’ it, and describing it making students discover the meaning by themselves (Parrot, 1993). Moreover, another fundamental feature I learned in this module is the importance of teach language in context and let students actively use it (Thornbury, 1997). Students, especially young migrant children who have arrived recently in the host country, need to first learn a more practical language they can use for everyday life. Hence, learning vocabulary is acquiring more importance. Teachers need to abandon a teaching method mainly focused on grammar and consider using a wider spectrum of activities in order to cover all the aspects of a language. I do not know if I will be able to become a good English language teacher, as I never had a real teaching experience. What can I do is continuing to learn, to improve my skills and try to defeat my weakness. As I still am an English learner, perhaps I will never be completely prepared for an English teacher role. My mainly fear is to show my anxiety to my students. I am very shy and I tend to be very nervous when I have to talk in front of other people, and this is not a good quality for a teacher. Therefore, I think that the only thing that will help me can be an increasingly practice in real classes, even if this is extremely difficult in my home country. As I have been an English student in Italy, I can notice how the Italian educational system does not consider all the different aspects of a language. Especially for English language, teachers tend to focus mainly on grammar as it is very different from the Italian one. This is why Italian students are not able to speak English in reality. Hence, Italian system need to change and be more open to new approaches.
Thornbury, S. (2002). How to Teach Vocabulary. Harlow: Longman. Ur, P. (1996). A Course in Language Teaching: Practice and Theory. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Windle, J.; Miller, J. (2012). Approaches to teaching low literacy refugee-background students. Australian Journal of Language and Literacy. [Online] 35 ( 3 ), pp. 317 - 333.
