ERIC ED397653: Tradition and Innovation: A New Way To Explore a TESOL Method.

26 Pages·1996·0.46 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
FL 023 956
ED 397 653
Liao, Xiaoqing
AUTHOR
Tradition and Innovation: A New Way To Explore a
TITLE
TESOL Method.
PUB DATE
[96]
NOTE
26p.
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Cognitive Processes; *Communicative Competence
'DESCRIPTORS
(Languages); *English (Second Language); Foreign
Countries; Grammar; *Instructional Innovation;
Language Usage; Second Language Instruction; Teacher
Role; *Teaching Methods
*China
IDENTIFIERS
ABSTRACT
This paper discusses a Teaching English to Speakers
for use in classrooms
of Other 1.nguages (TESOL) method appropriate
teaching
in China and offers a methodological framework with
to
principles. This method combines the communicative approach
method. TESOL
language teaching with the more traditional grammar
College Entrance
approaches in China are influenced by the national
teaching methods must
ExaminatiGn and the new Syllabus of China, and
theory of
be in sync with these guides and encompass the
communicative
communicative language teaching. This new emphasis on
cognition of language use may be called the
use as well as conscious
communicative-cognition method. Using this approach, the teacher
monitor, co-communicator,
should only act as facilitator, advisor and
communicator. Emphasis
and evaluator, while students should act as
ensuring that the student
should be on increased vocabuly teaching,
increased practice without
is the center of all classroom work, and
(Contains 14 references.)
teacher explanation or interference.
(NAV)
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Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can
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Tradition and Innovation:
Explore a TESOL Method
A New Way to
Author: Xiaoqing Liao
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2
Innovation:
Tradition and
Method
Explore a TESOL
A New Way to
our
feasible
in
TESOL method
to create a
This paper explains how
by combining the
situations
actUal TESOL
classrooms according to our
grammatically-oriented
traditional
the
approach with
communicative
teaching
and
framework
methodological
its
provides
and
method
principles.
and Demerits
I. The CLT Merits
foreign
(CLT) is an approach to
language teaching
The communicative
teaching
goal of language
emphasizes that the
language teaching which
language
reflects the nature of
competence. It better
is communicative
which
is
learning,
and
acquisition
language
of
and the process
special features:
reflected by the following
for
tool
a
essence
is
in
language
that
holds
CLT
(1) -The
and
use
through
learned
be
language should
communication and that
the
on
reform
radical
a
making
thus
and
through communication,
foreign
modern
the
of
era
initiating a new
traditional method and
speaking
interactional
that
insists
(2) The CLT
language teaching.
based
of real communication.
classroom be instances
activities in the
-
as
activities
classroom
making
thus
information gap
on a genuine
,
two- way
stresses
CLT
situation. (3) The
realistic as the real-life
into
initiative
students'
teacher usually brings
communication. The
throughout
agents communicating
them become active
full play and lets
that
ensures
(4) It
recipients.
passive
than
the classes rather
language.This exposure
the target
exposure to
students have sufficient
(5)
occur.
to
acquisition
for language
provides many opportunities
integrating listening,
language skills. By
all the four
The CLT embraces
these
develop
only
not
writing, students can
speaking, reading and
then
in
people use
them in use as
constantly combine
skills but also
real life situations.
1
3
obvious and direct demerit of
However, it is believed that the most
or
grammar
the
of
ignorance
communicative language teaching is its
of
neglect
consequence of the
structure of the target language, as a
look at its theory and textbooks,
language forms. Once we take a close
for
it
language fora,
convinced that it does ignore
we will soon be
for
way"
form" only in "an acceptable
a certain language
Provides
period,
and during this communicative
later communicative activities
also
and
subordinate",
form becomes
" the production of linguistic
as
purposes, such
\communicative
because most textbooks designed for
language
concerning
Function in Eng/ish4-provide nothing
Blundell's
negative
further
to
lead
inevitably
form. This disadvantage will
fast
the
of
to the advantages
effects which are in exact opposition
the grammar-oriented
and grammatical accuracy of
language acquisition
method:
slow.
(1) CLT makes English acquisition
of
patterns
and
rules
the
with
As grammar or structure deals
of
learners
tl,e
ESOL
of it deprives
sentence making, the ignorance
going
from
with, and thus prevents then
means to make Other sentences
Since the
in th-ir study of English.
beyond what they have cone across
on' each
focuses
but
structure,
or
grammar
CLT ignores language
most
students trained under it are
sentence's particular meaning, the
students
the
have covered only, while
likely to be bound to what they
beyond
method are quite able to go
trained under the grammar-oriented
the
time,
of
amount
given a ceratin
what they have learned. Thus,
less than the latter ones.
former students tend to learn
inaccuracy
(2) CLT encourages some grammatical
and lexical
consisting of many syntactic
Language is like an ocean
possibilities.
notional
and
functional
many
as
as
well
details
her
or
all of them in his
Obviously no ESOL learner is able to cover
under the
CLT,
of the students trained
study. This is especially true
they
particular functions. Thus,
bound to sentences'
since they are
never
have
they
what
unavoidably required to express
are sometimes
2
4
AVAILPLE
REST COPY
create
forced
4-o
they are
In this case,
in their study.
come across
they
grammar,
knowledge of
As they lack the
something of their own.
the
Therefore,
incorrect sentences.
make grammatically
are likely to
inaccuracy.
CLT encourages sone grammar
the
overlooks
method
traditional
the
that
know
However, we
been
have
eleients
certain
teaching, but its
communicative language
a
has been found
pattern drill
For example, the
useful and effective.
structures.
grammatical
with
students
familiarize
useful means to
linguistic
no
be
would
there
of the grammar,
Without a good grasp
of
instead
but
should be retained;
pattern drill
competence. So the
that
necessary
is
it
patterns,
for the sake of
drilling patterns
involve
which
given on contexts
practice is to be
language structure
end
work
vocabulary
appropriacy. Besides,
principles of
some basic
improvement.
language
students'
contributed much to
translation have
knowledge
language
solved by adding
problem can be
Therefore, the CLT
no
is
"there
Because
teaching.
of communicative
into the practice
any
nor
teaching,
communicative language
authority on
single text or
( Gautom,
accepted as authoritative"
is universally
single model that
eclectic"
"somewhat
base
is
theoretical
its
because
1968: 82),
an "approach"
only
because it is
Rodgers,1988:71), and
(Richards and
communicative
the
can use
be many methods, we
within which there can
grammar
the
of
collecting strengths
eclectic method,
approach as an
of
sense
the
in
knowledge
language
teach
to
translation method
"combinatidn".
what we call the
weaknesses. This is
counteracting its
Combination
Underlying this
II. Guidelines
guidelines we must
there are some
the combination,
Yhen we consider
to:
pay attention
in our country
TESOL Situation
(1) The Current
teaching
our
of
guideline
Syllabus is the
Because the teaching
method
a
choose
must
we
methods,
therefore teaching
contents and
that
states
China
Syllabus of
example, the new
according to it. For
3
listening,
teaching aims of middle school English are "by training in
basic English
speaking, reading and writing, to teach students to gain
This
communicatioh.
for
English
use
knowledge and coapetence to
skills and the second
states three teaching contents.The first is four
using
better
by
gained
is the communicative competence which are
language
content
third
is
the
However,
communicative approach.
such
as
techniques
effective
for which some useful and
knowledge,
should be retained. Therefore,
pattern drill from the traditional method
and
approach
communicative
the
both
to achieve above three goals,
traditional method should be combined together for classroom use.
the
Examination
is
Also in China, the National College Entrance
English .exaa
second largest influence determining a TESOL method.The
P8SS
into
to
graduates
school
is one of the five exams for senior
important
most
the
Passing
is
it
universities.
and
colleges
sucb a big influence
consideration for students while learning. It has
methods that it has been called the
to determine teaching contents and
the
determine
also
contents
testing
its
Therefore,
"baton".
methods and techniques.
employment orreasonable and effective teaching
EngEsh
capacity
in
Other situations we should consider are: teacher
student capacity
proficiency and knowledge about teaching methodology;
traditional teaching elements
in intelligence and native language, and
like
traditions
teaching
excellent
Chinese
in our country such as
at
hard
"working
and
"reeiting model texts", "reading extensively"
writing".
Eclecticism: a Current Trend of TESOL
(2)
the eclectic method is a
In the field of foreign language teaching,
construct
a
to
valuable
which collects anything
comproaise aethod
personal teaching style
methodological framework that may suit our own
eclecticisa
The
of the students.
as well as the needs and interests
language teaching. A
confirms to the law of the developsent of foreign
usually praised highly and
teaching method, at its early practice, was
of
course
the
But
in
advantages.
special
own
actually had its
4
students,
and
teachers
teaching
aims,
the
because
application,
environments altered, it inevitably
teaching materials, conditions and
and
modified
be
to
then, so it had
became contradicted with all of
situations. The usual practice is to
improved in order to suit the new
other
many
collecting
while
core
a
as
methods
two
or
use one
Teaching
unity.
organic
an
into
combined
were
advantages which
only
one
use
to
for teachers
experience also shows that it is rare
advantages from different methods
method,but more frequent to use many
time.
same
the
at
methods
several
which are mixed together or use
modern
of
kinds
there are three
According to Omaggio (1986: 69-86),
extent
some
to
evolved
which have
adaptations of the direct method
closely
as
a
Multiple Approach as well
from direct methodology: the
Physical
Total
Method,
Active
Verbal
related variant known as the
preclude
not
Approach. All of them do
Response (TPR) and the Natural
a
In
the use of the native language.
the explanation of grammar nor
phenomenon
in
normal
and
unavoidable
an
word, the eclecticism is
foreign language teaching.
prevailing
in
is
eclecticism
the
At the present time in China,
out:
points
Syllabus
College English
universities and colleges. The
Different
from different approaches
"Strong points should be drawn
.
stages
different
for different students,
approaches should be adopted
other
teachers
in
ESOL
Many
10)
and different purposes" (1991:
.
current
method.In a word, "The
also using the eclectic
countries are
language
past
the
of
combine the merits
teaching methodology is to
teaching method
form of a viable language
teaching practices into some
in
environment
linguistic
the
and
according to the learner's needs
language"(Gautam,1988:25).
which he is taught the target
History
(3) A Lesson from the TESOL
was
methodology
teaching
the
since
It is more than 100 years
the
that
find
From this history, we
studied as a branch of science.
the
into
approximately
falls
nethodologY
teaching
research for
following three periods:
teaching theory,
century. The then
in the 17-18th
The first period is
intelligence
of
development
emphasized the
based on the rationalism.
translation method,
emerged the grammar
its influence
and ability. Under
language practice. The
theory while neglecting
which stresses language
The
centuries.
20th
early
and
19th
the late
second period is in
development
insisted on the
the empiricism,
teaching theory, based on
the
evolved
influence
this
Under
habits.
and
of language skills
and
method
psychology. The direct
and behavior
structural linguistics
methods gave tit
and audio-visual
audio-lingual method
afterwards, the
language
putting forward that
traditional school,
for tat towards the
not
but
and habit formation,
of skill training
learning is a process
The
is in the 1960s-70s.
The third period
activities.
of intellectual
of
theory
Chomsky's
Noma
then
and
psychology
cognitive
and
intelligence
restressed
grammar
generative
transformational
approach was created
the cognitive
these theories,
abilities. Based on
this
that
clear
again. It is
language knowledge
stresses the
which
school,but it
the traditional
similar to that of
point of view is very
and
aids
visual
requires
but
practice
language
does not devalde
the
of
advantage
forward the
this is to carry
teaching situations -
structural school.
the
from
lesson
draw
a
can
we
periods
three
From the above
teaching
for
research
The
methodology.
teaching
of
development
knowledge
between language
the relationship
methodology was focused on
stressed,
first
course -
U-shaped
went through a
and practice and
Thus,
knowledge.
the language
finally restressed
then unstressed and
from
pendulum of fashion
have followed the
"language-teaching methods
two
to set
1965:138). The fault was
the other"Olackey,
one extreme to
one
overemphasize
and to
against each other
sides of a contradiction
This
extremes.
result of going to
the other as a
side wnile negating
should
knowledge and practice
should remember:language
is a lesson we
not be separated.
6
6
P.
Framework
III. This Combination: A Methodological
to
that
conclude
now
can
we
Judging from the above reasoning,
use
should
we
characteristics,
create our TESOL method with our own
while
core
as
teaching
a
language
communicative
of
theory
the
methods and also excellent
collecting other advantages of any existing
are
advantages
these
All
country.
our
of
traditions
teaching
perfect harmony and
dialectically and organically combined together in
the
at
aim
teaching
with
a
method
eclectic
an
developed
into
use
Stressing communicative
linguistic and communicative competences.
may
cognition of language usages, it
of language as well as conscious
Its
method".
communicative- cognition
be tentatively called the
as
as well
students
and
teacher
framework about the roles of the
described as follows:
teaching materials and procedures is
Teacher's Role as a Facilitator.
1.
role,
this
In
activities.
(1) Manager and organizer of classroom
establish situation likely to
"one of the major responsibilities is to
organize
Freeman, 1986:131),trying "to
promote communication"(Larshen
communicative
and
communication
for
setting
a
the classroom as
spoken
in
activities"(Richards and Rodgers, 1986:78). Language is not
so
situation,
real
a
place
in
takes
a vacuum and communication
abstractly
should not be performed
classroom communicative activities
.
set
situation. The teacher should
but realistically in an appropriate
expressions,
words, visual aids,teacher's facial
up situation by using
messages,
exchange
classes where students
gestures, actions, etc. in
information gap, thus language is learned
solve problems to bridge the
used in real life situation.
as it is actually
students
During learning activities, sone
(2) Adviser and monitor.
have problems
difficulties and need help, others may
may have learning
the teacher is "expected to exemplify
and confusions to be settled, so
speaker
of
meshing
communicator seeking to maximize the
an effective
paraphrase,
of
through the use
intention and learner interpretation,
she
or
and Rodgers,1986: 78). He
confirmation and feedback"(Richards
7
BEST COPY AVAILABLE
9
or
pair
group,
particular
a
to
classroom
the
around
may walk
not
be
say
students
other
Still
problems.
solve
individual to
so
conversation,
during
communicating effectively and making errors
monitor.
the teacher should also act as a
an
as
ect
times, the teacher might
(3) Co-communicator. At other
two- way
students, thus ensuring the
independent participant with the
for
teacher.is not a communicator
communication in class. However,the
He
students' communicating time.
main.purposes in order not to occupy
weaker
help
to
demonstrate how to do activities,
or she is only to
student.
students or to substitute an a'osent
in class is,
good students' performance
(4) Evaluator. To examine how
competences
linguistic and communicative
and how such degree of their
to
should also act as an evaluator so as
they have gained, the teacher
desired
evaluation does not reach the
improve his/her teaching if the
perfcrmance on the
evaluate students'
goal. The teacher can informally
formal
sone
For
co- communicator.
or
role as an advisor, monitor
the integrative communicative
evaluation, the teacher is likely to use
"rules of grammar".
of speaking" as well as
test which contains "rules
Communicator.
2. Students' Role as a
engaged
in
They are actively
"Students, above all, communicator.
even
understood -
in trying to make themselves
negotiating meaning
incomplete. They learn
the target knowledge is
when their knowledge of
Therefore
communicating"(Larshen-Freeman, 1986:131).
to communicate by
to
students
for
activities
of
variety
the teacher should device a
communicative competence.
Perform in order to develop
teacher-
a
than
in
dominant
less
is
"Since the teacher's role
of
manager
responsible
more
as
centered method, students are seen
must
students
(Ibid,1986:131). This means that
their own learning"
the
Therefore,
learn.
to
but also how
know not only why to learn
method
effective
acquire scientific ,
teacher should help students to
achieve
and
work
to
learn
gradually
of study so that students may
success on their own.
8