integratingthe four skills in the classroom Something to remember in teaching English : Introduction: Hello dear mates , please relax and take a deep breath. English is spoken in many countries either as the mother tongue or as a second language. The few differences that exist between British and American English tend rather to enrich communication than slow it down. Although not all my British readers might agree, I think that the American version of spoken English is becoming more and more dominant for several reasons. Let me give you an example to show you why American English has a stronger impact on British English than vice versa. When you go to the UK and switch on the TV you will see a lot of American shows, movies and films which, of course, are shown in the original, American version. Thus, especially young people watching TV will learn a lot of American vocabulary and phrases which they easily internalize and use as their own. It follows, modern British English is much more likely to be influenced by American English than the other way round because when you live in the US and watch TV you rarely will see a British show or film. Another area where US English dominates is international business. Most globally operating companies are based in the US and hence the influence of American English terminology is very strong. However, as with any issue, the more you think about it, the more variations you will encounter and it would be impossible to cover them all in one article. That’s why we’ll move on now to the differences between British and American English. Instead of giving you a comprehensive rundown of all imaginable items I’ll limit myself to a small selection of my personal observations. Spelling When it comes to different spellings there isn’t really that much to say because in the near future the world will more or less agree on one uniform version. British English has a tendency to keep the spelling of many words of French origin whereas Americans try to spell more closely to the way they pronounce words and they remove letters not needed, which makes sense to me. Here are some examples: British English American English centre center theatre theater realise realize catalogue catalog programme program travelled traveled neighbour neighbor grey gray plough plow to practise (verb) to practice (verb) practice (noun) practice (verb) cheque check (noun) Again, these are in my opinion examples for the most important spelling differences between British and American English. Of course, there are more of them and the purpose of this article is not to elaborate on orthography but to raise your awareness of the subject so you can make your own observations and draw conclusions Practicing speaking skill : Start with an THE INTERVIEW: The tester should capture personal details by asking the following type of questions: What is your name? Where do you live? Do you have any brothers or sisters? Does anyone else live at home with you? Now tell me, what do you all do when you get up in the morning? How do you all go to school and work? Do you have any brothers or sisters in this school? What standards are they in? Which subject do you enjoy most? Why? What do you do at break? Tell me about your best friends. What does your mother/grandmother cook for dinner? Can you tell me how she cooks it? Why do you all enjoy this food most? Do you listen to the radio/watch TV in your house? What is your favorite programme? Why do you enjoy it most? What do you do when you are getting ready to sleep in the evening? What time do you go to sleep. Why? Now look at the picture and tell me what this little boy is doing. Lets give him a name. What do you suggest? Learner types Our classification of learners into sensory preferences looks like this: The visual learner Understands orders if told rather than shown. Likes to work quickly and finish early. Is always looking intently at the interlocutor. Tends to follow the teacher with his/her eyes while the teacher moves around the classroom. Recalls information by visualizing the source. Always notices details. Tends to avoid oral production and when asked to speak, will keep his/her production to a minimum. Is very neat in the presentation of written work and tries to keep an orderly learning environment. The auditory learner Is generally regarded as the nice but naughty student in the group. Cannot stop chattering, whispering, etc. Is a good storyteller. Can be very bright at oral work, but his/her performance on tests is mediocre. Is generally a group leader (S/he knows how to listen to others) The tactile learner The kinesthetic learner Feels s/he is two sizes bigger that the desk. Prefers baggy clothes. Needs periods of reflection between tasks. MUST move. Good at sports and physical tasks. Generally writes words over and over and is not neat. Has both the power of breaking down the language into bits and pieces and putting those pieces back together in a big picture style. Uses movement and rhythmic routines in order to learn. After having classified learners according to their sensory preference, we set out to find activities which would enable them to use their innate capacities to benefit their learning. We then drew up a list of activities for each sensory preference. The list looked very much like this: Visual learners: Working with pictures, posters, etc. Realia Video Flash cards, card games, etc. Cuisenaire rods Timelines, charts, grids, diagrams. Auditory learners: Any kind of work with audiocassettes, including Counseling/Learning (CLL) techniques Songs, poems, rhymes, jazz chants, etc. Tactile learners: Cuisenaire rods, manual arts, card games, board games Working with maps Magnet board/flannel board Framing posters for abstract symbols Working with cards, slips of paper, etc. Kinesthetic learners: Games like Simon says. TPR activities Classroom tasks (giving out handouts, etc.) Blackboard work Races, competitions, etc., Board games
Posted on: Sun, 16 Mar 2014 14:22:21 +0000
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