I have chosen to focus on speaking skills for this FAD. Speaking skills as in dialogue, presentation, and as classroom language.
From a professional point of view I regard speaking skills as maybe the most important skill to master. Quite a few psychologists (Jerome Bruner (in Cameron 2009), Ole Løw (in Fantastiske Forbindelser, 2006), and Daniel Stern (notes from psychology class, 2010)) have found out that we only develop, academically and personally, in the interaction with others. When we speak, we immediately interact, which we do not when reading or writing. E.g. writing does not actually exist until somebody reads it (Ole Løw, “Fantastiske forbindelser”, p. 66).We do interact when we listen, but it’s not till we respond the development starts. E.g. you can’t be sure that the speaker notices the little uptake signals you send when listening.
Research question
How will it be possible and why is it important for the EFL teacher to help students develop sufficient speaking skills before they leave 9th grade? Theory
As Lindsay & Knight writes in their book “Learning and Teaching English” (2006, p.68) speaking is a complex process which involves constructing a message in a form that other people can understand, and delivering the message using the correct pronunciation, stress, and intonation.Vygotsky agrees with the basics of this thesis and emphasizes the importance of language and social interaction in developing and being challenged within your ZPD (Zone of Proximal Development). This being the area in which a child (or any other) can develop mediated by an adult or a more skilled person.
Mediation is central to Vygotsky’s theory, referring to the use of cultural tools or signs to bring about qualitative changes in thinking (Smith, 2010, p.22).
Furthermore internalisation as described by Wertsch) (1985 in Cameron, 2009) is vital in the learning process. Internalisation being the switch from merely relying on the help of and interaction with others, to be thinking for yourself and acting accordingly. This is when learning takes place.
But taking theory into the classroom will benefit from Bruner’s ideas on scaffolding learning. For Bruner (in Cameron, 2009) (and me) to support the child’s cognitive development it’s necessary for the adult to provide talk which:
· makes the child interested in the task
· keeps the child on track· simplifies the task
· points out what’s important
· controls the child’s frustration during the task
· and finally visualizes the result of the task (idealised)
Discussion
My main concern with respect to using or not using English as a classroom language will be the effect it has on the pupils’ motivation to use and practice the language.When we learn our mother tongue (L1) we internalize it by listening, repeating and practicing the sounds we are presented with. We try and we fail, and then we try again and maybe we have to practice a lot in order to succeed.
When learning a new language (L2) you have to accept that you will be vulnerable for a while until you have got the grip of it, internalized it and can start producing for yourself. The teacher should provide a classroom atmosphere of confidence, where the pupils are allowed to fail in order to succeed. The teacher should be the mediator (Vygotsky in Cameron, 2009), the one scaffolding (Bruner, in Cameron, 2009) the pupils’ learning and provide the structure and means to the learning. “The means” also being the English language classroom atmosphere – during the lesson everyone in the classroom speaks English. If all the lexis they’ve learned already is not sufficient (if their linguistic competences are not yet sufficiently developed) they will have to use their strategic competences to find a way around the word or sentence they find difficult. Maybe they will even have to look up the word in a dictionary. An inconvenient activity unless you have trials and reruns.The whole process should of course be done within the child’s ZPD and the teacher will have to observe that no extensive frustration occurs during task. A little frustration is alright – it sharpens the senses and gives the child a feeling of success when s/he completes the task. No frustration might be an indication that the child is working within his or her comfort zone. As a teacher you should keep an eye on that.
Challenging the child within its ZPD also includes using English as the classroom language. I find that the importance of this is rather underestimated in Danish EFL-classrooms. In my assignment I will stress the importance and give examples which emphasize the importance of using English as the means of communication in the language classroom. Creating or negotiating meaning is important when learning a language. When we interact we always try to create meaning to understand.
The Practice section of this FAD will contain information from my two practice placements which were at Bjørn's International School and at Engelsborgskolen in Lyngby. At Bjørn’s I was in a kindergarten/1st grade in the English section, and English as a classroom language was the only possibility with 15 different nationalities in the classroom. At Engelsborgskolen the teacher frequently used Danish to make sure that the pupils understood the tasks they were given. I find this a problematic and maybe even risky approach to language learning. You should be exposed to the language as often as possible to learn it. If the teacher fails to use his or her strategic competences to explain in a maybe more simple language for the pupils to understand, how can we ask the children to only speak English during class? I’ll come back to examples in the practice section.
Teachers also often stress the importance of using English outside school, but they fail to tell the pupils where and how to practice. And honestly, we cannot ask pupils in the 10th grade, even though they by then might have been acquainted with alcoholics for a few years, to go visit an English or Irish Pub in the city centre to have the opportunity of speaking English. No we need to find reasonable alternatives for the young pupils in the upper secondary school – and indeed there are. I will come back to that as well in the section below.
Practical examples
In my assignment I will describe the situation in two 7th grades at Engelsborgskolen who were used to the teacher speaking Danish during English lessons, whenever she felt that the children did not quite understand the task they were given.Furthermore I will explain about the input and the intake (Færch, 1984) I observed in the kindergarten/1st grade at Bjørn's International School. How they really made an effort to understand the tasks, how they helped each other, and the development I could observe when visiting the class four months later.
Examples of where to find English both inside and outside school could be on the internet via Skype, FaceBook, My Space, and other social networks. Also online games, where you interact with players around the world via spoken language could be a possibility.
But the alternative that I prefer would be to join an English speaking society where you live. A group like the Irish/Danish Society is definitely a good choice.
Finally parents are also allowed to help their children. At home we have a rule that in the kitchen we speak English as often as possible. This helps getting to know the basic everyday words that you might come across when interacting with English speaking people.
List of references:
Sandra Smidt, Introducing Vygotski, Routledge 2010, ISBN 0-415-48057-4Cora Lindsay & Paul Knight, Learning and Teaching English, Oxford 2006, ISBN 978-0-19-442277-2
Ole Løw, Fantastiske Forbindelser, Dafolo 2006, ISBN 87-7281-186-2
Lynne Cameron, Teaching Languages to Young Learners, Cambridge 2009, ISBN 978-0-521-77434-5
Claus Færch et al., Learner Language and Language Learning, Gyldendal 1984, ISBN unknown.
The National Curriculum for English 2009
And notes taken during English lessons at Blaagaard-KDAS 2009 to 2011.
