19. Some ELT Tasks

These are notes prepared by the author during the 5^th International and 41^st Annual ELTAI Conference organized by Anna Adarsh College for Women, Anna Nagar, Chennai from 5^th to 7^th August 2010

*Asking Creative Comprehension Questions  to primary level learners is important. It helps them to relate to the characters in the story and think and use language.

* Using Total Physical Response to teach primary level learners is an effective approach. For example all pupils can hold a balloon each and  on instruction from the teacher show; The balloon is now on my right, the balloon is now behind me, the balloon is now above me etc.

* Technology creates  a suitable  learning environment for students to master the English language. A few tasks using technology would include the following

Tasks using audio based materials:

* Retell the story you listened to using your own language

* Associate sound with the text

* Imitate the way you heard it

Tasks using video material

* Writing discourses

* Compare and contrast the video and the text

* Narrate the story

Tasks using advertisement

* Identify the homophones

18. Learner Training

Ms. Amy Lightfoot, Teacher Trainer, UK delivered a lecture entitled Teaching the horse to drink : say goodbye to empty vessels- Learner Training during the Fifth International and Forty-first Annual ELT@I  Conference, organized by the Department of English, Anna Adarsh College for Women, Anna Nagar, Chennai from 5^th to 7^th August 2010.

The following are excepts from her lecture:

Learner training is particularly important for those who are learning English in a large class. Learner training involves :

* Considering student ‘motivation’

* Shifting ‘responsibility’

* Encouraging ‘reflection’

* Developing study skills

* Building confidence

* Encouraging experimentation

For some teachers helping students learn  how to learn may require a shift in style of teaching. It is important to remember that our attitude to the language we are learning can shape our motivation for learning it. Teachers should consciously try to encourage students to take responsibility for their own learning.

17. Some Howlers in English

Prof. Krishnaswamy Natesan, Consultant and Author, Former Professor, CIEFL, Hyderabad delivered a lecture entitled English, Yes, but… during the Fifth International and Forty-first Annual ELT@I  Conference, organized by the Department of English, Anna Adarsh College for Women, Anna Nagar, Chennai from 5^th to 7^th August 2010.

According to Prof. Krishnaswamy, howlers are quite common in India. He recalled an instance of his correcting a paper for the Civil Services Examination, for  the prestigious job in the country: A candidate had written : “ Indian women eat their husbands before they eat themselves. The candidate had obviously meant that the women take food only after serving food to their husbands.

Given below are a few howlers which he came across while visiting different countries:

China :

 At a swimming pool :  “ Fall into water carefully”

 A low roof  bus :  “ Bump your head carefully”

At toilet entrance : “ Free toilet paper, treasure the use”

Norway : At a bar : “ Ladies are not allowed to have  a child in the bar”

Rome: At the entrance of a clinic “ Specialist in women and other diseases”

Japan : At a bar : “ Special cocktail for ladies with nuts”

Poland : At a restaurant : “ Hall preparation in our restaurant personally passed by our chef”

16. Critical and Creative Thinking

Mr. Cray Staggs of the  US Department of State, Senior English Language Fellow for Beijing delivered a lecture on  Critical and Creative Thinking during the Fifth International and Forty-first Annual ELT@I  Conference, organized by the Department of English, Anna Adarsh College for Women, Anna Nagar, Chennai from 5^th to 7^th August 2010.

The following are excepts from his lecture:

Critical and Creative thinking is a necessary skill for everyone.  Creative thinking can be  seen as creating many possible solutions to a problem situation. Critical thinking  can be seen as being able to test, assess and evaluate the possible solution. What is important is to help and  encourage  our learners to ask questions. A healthy skepticism and  a curious mind is essential for learners.

* The critical thinker would be more interested in focussing on :

   clarity vs  unclear

   precision vs  imprecision

   specific vs vague

Given below are examples of  tasks that involve thinking:

* Conducting a debate about an issue of special interest  ( Analyse / synthesize)

* Write a biography of a person you are studying about (Recall knowledge/ Comprehend/ Apply)

* Create a new product, name it and plan  a marketing campaign (Application / Synthesis)

* Design a questionnaire  to gather information ( Application/ Analysis/ Synthesis)

The pedagogical implication  for including Critical and Creative thinking would be the following :

* We need to have in our curriculum scope for problem-based tasks and encourage open ended questions

* Teachers should focus on classroom dynamics

* The classroom tone is also important

* The kind of questions asked by the teacher is very important.

Incorporating and ensuring the teaching of critical thinking skills should be regarded as essential  in educational programmes. English and foreign language courses should advocate classroom design that promotes not only language skills but also creative and critical thinking skills. For the EFL educator its application would mean  making learners seek alternatives, make inferences, pose questions and solve problems.

15. Texting and Fossilization

Ms. Meera Baby, faculty of Govt. College, Kanjirmkulam,  presented  a paper entitled ‘Texting and Fossilization’ at the International Seminar  on Innovative English Language Teaching organized by the Centre for English Language Teaching, University of Kerala and the Government College For Women, Trivandrum on 26^th  July 2010. The following  are notes prepared  during the presentation.

*Texting is a colloquial term referring to the exchange of brief written message.

*There has been a hike in texting over the years. For instance the number of text messages sent during 2001 was 250 billion and in 2004 it was 500 billion!

*We have to admit that text message is the new lingo.

*Texting forces us to morph our language. There is a tendency to be economic for the more the words the more the charge.

Some sample SMS forms

10X             for thanks

4                 for   for

MSG           for message

UR              for your

GUD           for good

HV              for have

L8R             for later

NY1             for anyone

YruL8          for Why are you late?

RU              for Are you?

*A study done in the University of  California shows that the written language of those who do a lot of texting is poor.

*David Crystal’s  book titled ‘txtng : the gr8 db8’  (Texting : The Great Debate) states that the language of texting doesn’t make people bad communicators, but  makes people good at language. The presenter displayed the following poem written in texting style  originally from David Crystal'on her PowerPoint slide.

A txt msg pom

his is r bunsn brnr bl%

his hair lyk fe filings

w  ac/dc  going thru

I sit to  him in kemistry,

it splits my @oms

When he -:) @ me

               Julia Bird

*We need to realize  that a stage comes when we are not able to overcome the habit of using textism. It leads to fossilization- a rather permanent phenomenon of a learner’s interlanguage getting stuck at any stage during the Target language (TL) learning process.

Before ending the presentation with a  ‘10X 4 ur time’ statement,   the following was displayed with  a caricature of Shakespeare with a speech bubble : Ah Twitter

2 b/nt

2 b

dtz d

Q   

14. An Appraisal of Methods and Approaches Used For Teaching English in Kerala

Ms. Vani, a faculty of Govt. College, Kanjiramkulam, presented  her appraisal of the Methods and Approaches of teaching English in Kerala based on the data she collected from educational institutions. It was presented  as a paper at the  International Seminar  on Innovative English Language Teaching organized by the Centre for English Language Teaching, University of Kerala and the Government College For Women, Trivandrum on 26^th  July 2010. The following are notes prepared during the presentation

*Teachers do not endorse one method alone.

*One method/ approach alone does not suffice and  we need an eclectic approach

*We need to use vocabulary to suit the level of the student and mother tongue should be used to explain the meanings of difficult words.

*We should use plenty of teaching aids.

*Writing skills need to be given due attention.

*The 1: 25 teacher student ratio is the best.

*A coordination in curricular transaction between, the primary, secondary, Higher Secondary  and Under Graduate courses is essential.

*Cluster workshops tend to be a failure owing to political intervention.

13. Use of Rhymes for Ecological Awareness

Ms. Vishu, a fourth semester student of the MA Degree course of the University of Kerala,   made her first ever seminar presentation  at the  at the International Seminar  on Innovative English Language Teaching organized by the Centre for English Language Teaching, University of Kerala and the Government College For Women, Trivandrum on 26^th  July 2010.

 The following  are notes prepared  during the presentation.

The PowerPoint  presentation had the following lines from Wordsworth as  the first content slide:

One impulse from a vernal wood

May teach you more of man,

Of moral evil and of good

Than all the sages can.

-The Tables Turned (1798)

From notes prepared  during the presentation:

*Environments/seasons  shape the temperament of individuals. So it is important to help children have a better understanding of nature and its elements. One way of doing it is to include pictures of seeds, plants, trees, flowers etc in the text book.

*Another way is to use rhymes.Given below is one such rhyme:

If I were an apple

And grew on a tree

I think I’d drop down

On a nice boy like me

Giving nobody joy

I’d fall down at once

And say, “Eat me, my boy!”

*Rhymes also illustrate appropriate social roles. For instance, they can kindle love for animals and other living beings. They can also help develop moral responsibility to protect Mother Nature.