My Eclectic Approach
1. Design an eclectic approach in which you include:
a. A theory of learning
Constructivism is a theory of learning that has its focus on building knowledge through different experiences. As Kelly (2012) states that “Learning is based on how the individual interprets and creates the meaning of his or her experiences.”, which means that, letting the students explore language could help them understand the language better. Using this theory, I would be giving the students specific structures and letting them introduce their experience with the help and guidance of the teacher. This would help them memorize better the structures they need to use and will encounter themselves in situations that go far beyond the book’s exercises.
b. A theory of language
As stated by Caffarel (2009), “Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) is a theory of language that is strongly oriented to the description of how language makes meaning in context”, which could help the students get a better grasp of the target language in use, which is my main purpose. This theory has three metafunctions: Ideational (Language as a human experience), interpersonal (Language in human relationships), and textual (language creates discourse), this perspective, applied in the classroom, would increase the interest of the students in learning the language. By taking it out of the simple perspective of another classroom work and transforming it into meaningful experience and actions of interest and interaction, the students would be encouraged to learn more. This theory focuses on language as a system of meaning, so it would be useful for me.
c. Goal of language teaching
The students will learn the use of language through real life-based situations that allow them to think about the usage of language, not just through the resented structures, but also through their own learning and guessing. The Direct Method proposes that only the target language is used in the classroom to teach the students and to help them understand the language itself and not by translation. This method was proposed as a response to the Grammar-Translation method with a more “natural perspective”, as it tries to replicate the first language acquisition process through immersion (British Council BBC, 2011), which promotes discovering language, making natural mistakes, correcting said mistakes in the process and learning language by a “natural” and almost “personal” use, instead of a “forced” structure presented by a text book.
d. Learner roles
By the Communicative Language teaching method helps the students not to focus on structural rules but to develop a communicative proficiency that is adapted not just to their level and knowledge but to their rhythm of communication and learning. This method also emphasizes the developments of the four skills of language (listening, speaking, reading and writing). Since the students learn to communicate effectively in different situations, employing language functions such as inviting, complaining, suggesting, asking for directions, and so on (Shoebottom, 2017). My approach will focus mainly in letting the students assume the leading role of their learning and let the teacher be a guide and a person they can go if they come with major doubts, to show them the structures but not to impose the knowledge or be the focus of the attention, which would let the students to be just obeying rules, which could tie them to 1) just obeying in a monotone model and 2) not being confident enough when they have to use language in a specific context.
e. Teacher roles
As stated by the ESL Glossary in Aguilar (2011), Communicative Language Teaching is “A set of principles about teaching including recommendations about method and syllabus where the focus is on meaningful communication not structure, use not usage.” Therefore, for the teacher roles the focus I want to take, belongs to the Community Language Learning, which sees the teacher as a counselor who advices and gives support to the students in need (Richards & Rodgers, 1986). This method also fits into my purpose of making the students develop their own learning by imitating the L1 acquisition process with the help and guidance of a teacher that allows them to be creative but guides them into correct use of language. But I don’t really agree with the part in which students can use the L1, for I think some of them would only do translation of what they are saying and would not develop a “natural” use of language. My goal is for them to understand and think in the target language, not to translate.
f. Techniques
Task-based learning focuses mainly on the development of natural language learning -communication and interaction-, that is achieved by contextualized learning (opinions, reasoning, real-life situations, etc.) (Larsen-Freeman, 2000). Ergo, the techniques used for my approach will be a mixture of the methods previously cited: The production of students will be mainly directed to both listening and speaking for communication is a goal. As part of a routine-changer, the students will be encouraged to realize writing activities and read some documents that help them in their understanding of language and culture. Taking the approach of the direct method, L1 will be avoided as much as possible, to help the students think and produce in L2. The communicative method and the community language learning, students will grasp language in a less-intimidating way, since every student will be there to learn and mistakes will always be corrected in warm tone and encouraging the student to keep trying. Activities such as roleplay, reading aloud, writing in pairs and other activities that help students produce and immerse themselves into language after the teacher has already presented the themes for the class.
g. Use of L1
“The communicative approach is based on the idea that learning language successfully comes through having to communicate real meaning. When learners are involves in real communication, their natural strategies for language acquisition will be used, and this will allow them to learn to use the language.” (BBC British Council, n.d.). Based on this, in my approach, the use of L1 will be avoided during class, for the main purpose is to learn how to speak and use the L2 in different context, not just the ones in the examples of text books, and I also aim to avoid translations. According to Karavas (n.d), meaningful communication is encouraged by interaction in the target language and the inclusion of authentic speech samples and learner´s personal experiences. The purpose is to make them understand and think in the L2, so the use of L1 will make them get stuck or make them used to recurring to the L1 every time they get a doubt of L2.
h. Error correction
If a student shows to have any kind of problem understanding language, vocabulary, structure or use, the teacher will provide explanation in the target language and try to explain as much as possible. If the student sill doesn’t understand, the teacher will help them in the L1, but it will be only used in extreme cases. The error correcting will be done with supportive and encouraging manners that allow the student to be inspired to try again.
When correcting errors in language that are alike or related, corrections can be made in the target language, making relations to the mother tongue since learners would be relating the new linguistic system with their mother tongue and therefore facilitating their acquisition; they would be constructing a new system, called interlanguage grammars (Fromkin, Rodman & Hyams, 2014, p. 455)
1a. Choose at least three different teaching approaches or methods to base your answers. To support your arguments you need to describe the main features, advantages or disadvantages of those approaches. Remember to quote information and of course include your own opinion.
2. Using your eclectic approach choose one skill (reading, writing, listening, speaking) or subskill (grammar, vocabulary) and design an activity. Remember to include the key elements of a lesson plan.
2a. Remember to design the activity taking into account Akbari Postmethod Discourse Principle of Particularity (2008).
a) Pedagogy must be sensitive to the local individual, institutional, social and cultural contexts of teaching and learning and of teachers and learners (particularity)
References:
· Aguilar, I. (2011, July 28). What is CLT?. Retrieved March 22, 2018 from https://es.slideshare.net/ivanslides/what-is-clt
· British Council BBC. (2011). Direct method. TeachingEnglish. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/direct-method
· BritishCouncil (n.d.). Communicative Approach [Web log comment]. Retrieved from https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/communicative-approach
· Caffarel, A.(2009-12-17). Systemic systematic functional grammar and the study of Meaning. In The Oxford Handbook of Linguistic Analysis. : Oxford University Press. Retrieved 15 Mar. 2018, from http://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199544004.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199544004-e-031.
· Da Silva Gomes C., H. M., & Signoret Dorcasberro, A. (2005). Temas sobre la adquisición de una segunda lengua. México: Trillas (reimp. 2013).
· Fromkin, V., Rodman, R., & Hyams, N. (2014). An Introduction to Language (10th ed.). Wadsworth, USA: Cengage Learning.
· Jambor, P. Z. (2009). Teaching context: Synthetic and analytic syllabuses. Korea: South Korean University. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED506755.pdf
· Karavas, E. (n.d.). Applied Linguistics to Foreign Language Teaching and Learning Unit 2: Approaches and Methods for Foreign Language Teaching. National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Retrieved from http://opencourses.uoa.gr/modules/document/file.php/ENL5/Instructional%20Package/Presentations/PDFs/Unit2_Accessible.pdf
· Larsen-Freeman, D. (2000). Techniques and principles in language teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
· Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T. S. (1986). Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
· Shoebottom, P. (2017). Language teaching methodologies. A guide to learning English. Retrieved March 22, 2018, from http://esl.fis.edu/teachers/support/method.htm
