Paper 12 - ELT

Topic: Various Approaches in ELT

Paper:12

Submitted to:Smt.S.B.Gardi

      Department of English

Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar university

Bhavnagar

(Gujarat-India)

             Various approaches in elt

[1] Structural Approach

[2] Situational Approach

[3] Communication Approach

[4] Functional   Approach

“  The method helps to assess applicability of the Approach.”

(A)        Structural Approach:

       Prior to Structural approach grammar translation method was used as an oldest method for teaching classical Language. This method worked well so long as English was the medium of instruction, but when English remained as a subject only in curriculum. it was proved failure this method was replaced by the direct method which did not allow the use of mother tongue in teaching of English. If there was no space and scope for selection and gradation of teaching materials and there the director method was also failed. At this juncture, there was a wide spread feeling that a new approach to the teaching of English is necessary. At the same time, extensive research wear going on in the field of English as a foreign language at the university of London, Institute of education as a result of this, a new approach came into existence to the teaching of English by means of selected graded language material with controlled vocabulary. This approach is known as the Structural Approach.

     This approach may be defined primarily as the arrangement of words in such a way as to form a suitable pattern. It may also be defined as the syllabus of graded structure and controlled vocabulary thought through oral approach. Shri Memon and Patel say: ‘This approach is based on the belief that in the learning of a foreign language, mastery of structure is more important than the acquisition of vocabulary.

     The structural approach strictly believes that the teaching of language differs from other subjects like history or geography as language learning is a skill when other subject like are of knowledge nature. Our teaching of language, therefore, must be based on those activities which are useful in learning the skill. The skill is learned by daily practices which requires repetition. This repetition should always be in meaningful situation and should not become a mechanical process, Thus the approach clearly shows that it is a way to teach the language through language with the help of graded structures, vocabulary and other language elements selection and gradation of teaching material is therefore the main consideration of this approach.

F.G.french, in his book,’ The teaching of English abroad give principals of Structural approach:

(1) This importance of speech as the necessary means of fixing firmly all ground work.

(2) The importance of forming language habits particularly the habit of arranging words in English standard sentence patterns to replace the sentence patterns of pupils, own language ie. his mother tongue.

(3) The importance of the pupils activity rather than the activity of the teacher.

 Advantages:-

(1)             IT emphasis oral or spoken, form of the language and therefore there should be plenty of oral work providing more opportunities to learners to practices the use of language learning through oral work, becomes lively and real.

(2)              Much importance is given to speech us language is describe as speech and not writing. this helps the pupils to acquire a good pronunciation and fluency in speech.

(3)             With the help of this approach, a suitable environment rather work shop environment can be created in the class room for learning foreign language.

(4)             It provides more opportunity to the learners to express their ideas, feeling and experiences. As such it helps them to acquire command over the language.

(5)             It is a great help in teaching basic skill of English  language as it brings about a harmonious development oh the skills implied in language learning.

(6)             Due to the maximum activities on part of the pupils. They are not to remain passive listeners but they remain as active participants in teaching learning process.

 Disadvantages:-

(1)             Experience tells that this approach is more suitable and applicable only the lower or junior classes and it is not found useful in senior classes where the students are prepared for the public examination.

(2)             The condition in school over crowed class rooms, heavy workload and rigid curriculum make the structural approach impracticable.

(3)             Selected and granted structures can only be taught through this approach while other language aspects can’t be taught effectively.

(4)             The approach puts more emphasis on repetition and drill therefore teaching learning becomes dull. Mechanical and monotonous to some extent.

(5)             Since the approach attaches more importance to the oral presentation and speech, reading writing and vocabulary expansion are neglected.

(6)             Very few pupils can take advantages from this approach who are bright and intelligent and the average pupils on other hand are not able to take sufficient and they are therefore leg behind in learning.

   

(B)         Situational Approach:-

The structural approach took the teaching of English as an arrangement of graded sentence situation units. the unit has been defined as one in which the element of sentence wear made by clear by the situation in which it was used. the structural approach put emphasis on the selection and gradation of structures and vocabulary and formulated explicit criteria for grading. it also favored oral situation presentation using appropriate vocabulary etc.

This approach may be defined as the approach to establish a direct to establish direct relationship between the object presented and the idea, thought or linguistic symbols contained in two word or a structural item presented in the class by using and creating different appropriate, real and related situation.

Teacher of English should bear in mind these Psychological factor of interest and attention. The situational presentation should be made interesting and attentive by using class room situation through objects, picture, and action gestures.

Action chains are best used to introduce new words such as content words and action verbs etc. it enables the pupils to link and associate the meaning of words, phrases and sentence constructions with the situation relation and activity produced.

When a teacher repeats the structure in the class, he should  use and create different situation keeping the same structural item in order to avoid mechanical process and also to make the teaching live and interesting.

Play way activities keep the pupils interested and attentive and the teaching become meaning for the learner.

It is the first and most important task of the teacher to provide his pupils ample and sufficient opportunities to hear the words and constructions used, to hear them us often before asking the pupils to reproduce. this will help them to from durable impression in their minds of the sounds and pattern of sound and thus they will experience the feeling of language.

The teacher can create the situation for systematic and meaningful presentation by using class room objects. The objects specially prepared and brought from outside, picture, and charts specially prepared in regard to a particular structural item. By performing gestures and action and by drawing on the board etc. It is up to the teacher choose right and real situations appropriate to item to be presented situation can also be created by way of asking question-answers for explaining certain vocabulary items especially abstract vocabulary.   

 Merits:-

(1)  The situational approach is useful in teaching a foreign language like English for many language items particularly for teaching and introducing new structural items and for providing practice and drill for the same.

(2)  With the help of the situations, the pupils can master the structure effectively and have chewable impressions in their mind.

(3)  It is also equally helpful in introducing new vocabulary items including abstract vocabulary by using real as well as contrived situation.

(4)  The approach is psychologically sound as the pupils learn the language with interest and attrition because of full use of various real and even contrived situations.

(5)  The teaching and learning become live and interesting instead of a burdensome process.

   Demerits:-

          Though this approach is considered as a great deal and successful in teaching English, it has certain limitations:

(1)  It is useful in lower classes only, higher class pupils cannot benefit much.

(2)  Only some selected and certain language items can be thought through this approach and not all language items.

(3)  Other language forms such as prose, poetry rapid- readers and composition items cannot be thought.

(4)  Only skilled and resourceful teacher can teach through this approach and cannot average teacher.

(5)  Only bright and intelligent pupils can take advantage from this approach and not average or all the pupils of the class.

(c) Communication approach:-

        At present, as we fine, pupils are by and large not able to use the language that they learn in either written or oral form. In other words, it their inability to communicative with each other. It is the communicative approach and communicative language teaching which advocates and attaches paramount importance to the communicative aspect of language in English language teaching.  

          Language, begin a means of expression and communicative, is learning to communicate through its use and therefore and language course ought to provide the learner with the skills that enable him to interest with others. considering this view point, the communicative language teaching may be defined as a teaching language for communication in simple terms rather than on more mastery of language put emphasis on communicative competence of the learner rather than on structural competence only. It aims at creating the right kind of environment it the classroom which brings about in learners am ‘argue’ to say something with the words and the urge to communicate. It favors pair work to interact the learner with each other and to raise the maximum learner’s involvement in teaching as well as learning process. It’s one of the aims is to help the learner to acquire communicative competence. i.e., ability to use the linguistic system effectively and appropriately, it is the learner oriented approach and not for the teacher oriented.

   Features of CLT:-

(1)  One of the most characteristic feature is that it pays systematic attention to functional as well as structural aspect of language.

(2)  It is not in favor or mere structural teaching. the approach of English language teaching should be shifted from pattern practice to group work and pair work.

(3)  It is also not in favor of Behaviouristic theory of psychology but advocates the cognitive theory of psychology in learning a language.

(4)  English language teaching should proceed from linguistic syntax to semantic to sociolinguistics.

(5)  There should be meaning based teaching and meaning should find paramount place in communicative language teaching.

(6)  It deals with natural chunks, not to decrease points as in structural approach and deals with real discourse, not component.

(7)  It  considers communicative needs of the learners and therefore class room activities are base on communicative activities like information gap, choice, feedback, varieties of language.

(8)  It tries to develop interpretative abilities it the learners.

(9)  It believes in developing basic language skills in an integrated way and favors the abolition of traditional distinction of four basic skills.

(10)                   It suggests to provide maximum opportunities to the learners in order to take part in meaningful communicative  event.

(11)                   Pupils mistake may be tolerated during the process of learning and they are not to be discouraged.

(12)                   Pupils insight and perception should be developed during learning.

(13)                   It believes in pupil centered approach,pupils in foreground and teacher in back ground. pupils autonomy in learnig is to be encouraged

(14)                   The teacher’s role is to be limited as initicator facilitator ,guide and co- communicator.

(15)                   Pair work activates should be given priority at all level of learning.

(16)                   The central feature of CLT is to put the learner in situation in order to adjust.

    Quality of learner:

(1)  In most of the class room the quality and nature of learner are purposive. The learners try to develop inter relationship with another. They develop feelings of oneness. This feeling forms different  groups in the class room.

(2)  Some group are known as heterogeneous and some are known as homogeneous.

(3)  The nature and quality of homogeneous group have the following peculiarities.

(4)  Pupils of the group have some age, skill and a likeness of attitudes for learning a foreign language.

(5)  They try to learn continuously and get mastery over the foreign language within reasonable time.

(6)  They try to share their abilities of learning, they help one another. this will facilitate the teaching learning process and develop their performance in teaching.

(7)  They adjust well with one another students and teacher. So , interaction take place very easily.

(8)  While in the heterogeneous group, the pupils are at different level of their capacity and achievement. they also get the opportunity to work with the clever pupils and to learn from them.

(9) Learning interest is also essential for effective learning. it can only take place in response to the felt interest of learning. when the interest of learner is strong enough and he sets a goal for achievement learning will be more effective.

(10)                    In short it is essential that the students must have healthy attitude a good quality if the behavior and a strong interest towards learning a foreign language.

(D)Functional approach:- 

 The late 1960s witnessed a shift in pattern of research on first language from the nativist side into the function side, which is considered a deeper move into the essence of language. this new move has volutionzed research of first language acquisition. In this respect the communicative function of language is being investigated in all its variability. However the generative rules that are proposed under the nativistic framework are abstract, formula, explicit, and quite logical. they deal specifically with the forms of language and not with very deepest level of language where memory, perception, thought meaning and emotion are all interdependently organized in the superstructure of the human mind. These scholars argue for a functional approach to the study of language acquisition.

According to the above mentioned scholars, the explanation of language development is dependent upon an explanation of the functions of language which are considered a matters of the interaction of child’s perceptual, interpretive, and cognitive development with the linguistic and non_ linguistic events in the child’s environment. in other words, child language researchers need to formulate the rules of the functions of language and relationships of the forms of language to those functions.

According to the functionalists view, there are to levels of language development: the functional level and formal level. on the functional level, and formal level. on the functional level, the development is paced by the growth of conceptual and communicative capacities, operating in conjunction with innate schemas of cognition. on the formal level, development is placed by the growth of perceptual and information processing capacity in conjunction with innate schemas of grammar.

However ,in the area of second language acquisition, the works of given are considered the prominent attempts to develop a functional theory of second language acquisition in his functional typological theory, given claims that syntactic change is driven primarily by psycholinguistic and pragmatic principles relating to speech perception and production in face to face interaction .these are themselves derived from moral unified theory of all kinds of language change, including language acquisition.

The functional approach to second instruction has more positive effect on acquiring grammatical accuracy than the structural approach .in other words, second language instruction that is semantically, it fractionally and structurally based enhances the acquisition of grammatical accuracy.

This study is aimed at suggesting a functional approach to second instruction, basically in the area of English grammar for university students. therefore, the outcome of this study help the course designers to apply this approaching designing grammatical materials that effectively facilitate the acquisition of grammatical accuracy furthermore, this acquisition of grammatical accuracy furthermore, this study will guide teacher of English in Sudan to rely on one of the recent and modern approaches in the area of second language instruction.