Innovative ESL Teaching Methods
Innovative ESL Teaching Methods
Beena Anil
                                                    SDNB Vaishnav, College for Women, Chennai, India
                                                    E-mail:pbeenanil@gmail.com
Received: March 18, 2017 Accepted: May 1, 2017 Online Published: June 20, 2017
                                                    Abstract
                                                    This article focuses on the level of using creative teaching methodologies in second language classroom as studied by
                                                    the researcher. A series of qualitative methods such as using newspaper, media, movies, interpreting advertisements,
                                                    and creating Sandblot can be employed in the classroom in order to develop students’ second language learning ability.
                                                    The article focuses on how teaching methodologies should be modified and used in the classroom appropriately by
                                                    understanding the learning capacity of students and their learning interest in the classroom.
                                                    Keywords: teaching methodology, innovation, developing confidence, second language learning
                                                    1. Introduction
                                                    English has become an important language in the world. Teachers from second language learning countries are
[ Downloaded from ijreeonline.com on 2024-11-05 ]
                                                    creating innovative methodologies to teach the language in the classroom effectively. To substantiate the statement,
                                                    Pollock (2007) stated that teachers now rejoice multiplicity and open the doors of public schools to all children, despite
                                                    their culture, socio-economic status or ability. As classroom set-ups have been changed, curriculum has been expanded
                                                    to meet all students’ needs and teachers are striving to help their students in their classroom to learn and develop their
                                                    language learning process. Pollock (2007) believed that in order to be successful teachers, they need to incorporate
                                                    different learning tools keeping in mind the effective teaching methods that are already in use.
                                                    2. Importance of English
                                                    Acquiring English language has become a predominant factor for a nations’ development as well as an individual’s
                                                    development. To improve the communicative skills of the learners, innovative teaching methodologies should be used
                                                    or introduced to make the learning process interesting. Creativity is a prime factor of any student to develop her/ her
                                                    lateral thinking in terms of learning a language. An English learning classroom should be created using interesting
                                                    teaching methodologies to mesmerize and encourage students to learn the second language explicitly and implicitly.
                                                    Second language acquisition has proved that child and adult learners have innate linguistic knowledge in a
                                                    developmental sequence (Gilkerson, 2006; Schwartz, 2003; Unsworth, 2005).
                                                    3. Aims
                                                    The research paper focuses on the use of creative teaching methodologies in the second language classroom that was
                                                    observed by the researcher who has one and half decade of teaching experience as English teacher. Using newspaper,
                                                    clipping from movies, advertisements, and innovative tasks can be used to develop the learning competency of the
                                                    learners. Ingrarson (2003) pointed out that there are no short cuts to educational improvement. Hence it is important
                                                    to use relevant and required teaching methods by evaluating students’ level of understanding in learning English as a
[ DOI: 10.18869/acadpub.ijree.2.2.1 ]
                                                    second language.
                                                    4. Improvement of Qualities in Teaching
                                                    The teacher should possess some of the qualities while teaching his/her students. The teacher’s personality, attitude,
                                                    dexterously handling teaching materials, knack in answering students’ questions, and ability to teach by using
                                                    techniques instill interest among students. Traditional methods cannot be written off from the classroom at any point
                                                    of time, but including some of the interesting and innovating teaching methodologies will make students to be focused
                                                    on the learning process. Cognitive development teachings can be done in the class through tasks like Sandblot task,
                                                    exposure to develop or correct their English extensively. To such students, teachers’ role is predominant and teacher
                                                    should use innovative teaching to make her students develop the second language learning process gradually.
                                                    Language can be learnt only through practice. Practical knowledge of learning a language is an experimental approach
                                                    for second language learners. Such learners should experiment their knowledge by communicating with others
                                                    confidently. Their errors can be rectified or pruned through this practice. Teachers should develop students’
                                                    confidence, independence, interest, and aid them to realize that their first language knowledge repository would be
                                                    helpful to learn the second language confidently.
                                                    As Stevick (1980) pointed out that learners could ‘take their knowledge of the first few words in the new language
                                                    and figure out additional words by using that knowledge’ (p.42). Learners’ self-learning approach and understanding
                                                    the learning ability in the process of learning second language should be given primary importance in the classroom.
                                                    Teachers should discover activities and tasks that are filled with edutainment. Introducing various tasks would help
                                                    learners to understand the use of language in real-life situations by engaging them in doing many activities in the
                                                    classroom.
                                                    In the present age, students’ acquisition of a language is measured in terms of their ability to communicate in the
                                                    language rather than examining their grammatical skills. Many educational institutions have taken an extreme step by
                                                    including a network of computers and related software, cassette players, and slide projectors as a part of English
                                                    learning process. English plays an important place in every student’s life directly or indirectly. Though, chalk and
                                                    board method is unbeatable, using technological tools in the process of learning English benefits learners
                                                    voluminously. No more English is considered as a subject by learners, but it is considered as a language by students,
                                                    thanks to globalization. Crystal (2004) in the preface to his work, Language and the Internet mentions:
[ DOI: 10.18869/acadpub.ijree.2.2.1 ]
                                                             An emphasis, which formerly was on technology, has shifted to be on people and purposes. And as
                                                             the Internet comes increasingly to be viewed from a social perspective, so the role of language
                                                             becomes central. Indeed, notwithstanding the remarkable technological achievements and the visual
                                                             panache of screen presentation, what is immediately obvious when engaging in any of the Internet’s
                                                             functions is its linguistic character. If the Internet is a revolution, therefore, it is likely to be a
                                                             linguistic revolution (p.viii).
                                                    In this vying competitive world, most of the institutions have set up language lab for their students to learn English.
                                                    At present, multimedia lab is quite attractive and instilling the interest of learning the language. The difference between
                                                    activities in the classroom will make students to have authorship over themselves and develop good rapport with
                                                    teachers and fellow students. Classroom is a space especially means for learners and ‘sensible’ talking of students
                                                    should be encouraged. Breen and Cadlin (1980) describe the learner’s role in the following terms:
                                                             The role of learner as negotiator interacts with the role of joint negotiator within the group and
                                                             within the classroom procedures and activities which the group undertakes. The implication for the
                                                             learner is that he should contribute as much as he gains, and
                                                             thereby learn in an interdependent way (p.110)
                                                    Learners’ autonomy is an appreciable act and teachers should understand their students’ strength and weakness in
                                                    learning English as a language rather than a subject. A few prospects can be identified and implemented for a better
                                                    learning atmosphere. They are
                                                    1. Weekly lesson plan teemed with activities should be explained and presented to the students,
                                                    2. Provide time to students to think, understand, and perform activities effectively with their competence level,
                                                    3. Teachers should be sincere in delivering their work efficiently, keeping in mind primarily the development of
                                                    students,
                                                    4. Teachers should share interesting facts and relevant information about all prescribed subjects in the classroom,
                                                    5. Teachers play a pivotal role in creating and stimulating interest among students to have healthy and contextualized
                                                    discussion from different angles, and
                                                    6. Teachers should think of practical activities that should be filled with humor and creativity (Allwright, 1984).
[ DOI: 10.18869/acadpub.ijree.2.2.1 ]
                                                    Allwright (1984) pointed out that everything that happens in the classroom happens through person to person
                                                    interaction. Students should be prepared to perform practical activities in the classroom by the materials provided by
                                                    the teacher. Activities can mould students to be a thinker, analyzer, judge, and evaluator and aid them to fit in according
                                                    to the situation. L2 researchers such as Nation (1997), Day and Bamford (1998), and Krashen (2004) have suggested
                                                    that a vocabulary gain is available to learners who read widely.
                                                    English can be learnt in various creative ways. Creativity helps learners to use language relevantly and instantly. Days
                                                    are gone where students are being trained on soft skills to make their English communication perfect. In the present
                                                    scenario, students in semi-urban and sometimes in urban areas are successfully placed in Multinational Companies
                                                    Newspaper is an important tool to teach students in the classroom. Reading English newspaper should be developed
                                                    as a habit among students that will help them to improve their vocabulary and love for the language. Though
                                                    newspaper’s primary purpose is to provide news to public, for students it teaches about the nuances of the language
                                                    through news. A special component of newspaper is that it can be used and read according to the interest of the readers.
                                                    Every reader’s interest is being fed by different columns like film, sports, cuisine, politics, ecology, and science.
                                                    Students will get a wide choice of selecting and reading newspaper according to their top interest. Rixon’s (2011)
                                                    investigation showed that an integral part of teaching should be teaching activities.
                                                    6.1.1 Procedure of the Task
                                                            Instruct students to bring a sheet or a copy of English newspaper to the classroom,
                                                            Divide the class into small group of three each,
                                                            Instruct students to select a write-up or an article from their respective sheet of newspaper,
                                                            Instruct students to read the selected passage and underline the difficult words,
                                                            Instruct them to type the given passage on MS word on the computer in the lab. Select the difficult words
                                                             with the help of tool synonyms , which is available on MS word, and instruct students to provide synonym
                                                             to each difficult word,
                                                            Instruct students to read the modified passage, and
                                                            Instruct each team to describe the piece of passage from the newspaper and later from the computer.
                                                        Multiple words help them to enhance their vocabulary and have a wide choice of selecting an equivalent word of
[ DOI: 10.18869/acadpub.ijree.2.2.1 ]
                                                        their choice. Nation’s (1997) research suggests that it takes at least 12 separate reading encounters with a new
                                                        word in context for learners to learn words that are comprehended to some extent.
                                                    6.1.2 Objectives Obtained from the Task
                                                            Vocabulary is enriched,
                                                            Students’ computational skill can be improved,
                                                            Improvement of reading skill,
                                                            Improvement of speaking skill,
                                                             class. According to Peccei (2000), in first language learning errors are rarely explicitly corrected with the
                                                             emphasis placed on elaborating or expanding on learners’ utterances.
                                                    6.2.2 Objectives Obtained from the Task
                                                            Students’ creativity can be evaluated,
                                                            Students’ understanding skills can be developed,
                                                            Vocabulary can be enhanced,
                                                            Observational skill is developed, and
                                                            Good rapport with classmates is developed.
                                                    Oller and Eilers (2002) suggested that learners who were taught in both L1 and L2 fared better than those who taught
                                                    in English only.
                                                    6.3 Task Three: English Visual Advertisements
                                                    Advertisement is a mini movie with an interesting visual concept or theme. Words used in such advertisements are
                                                    glamorized with style, good pronunciation. Identifying signature lines, headlines, captions, slogans etc., in English
                                                    advertisements are quite expressive for viewers that help them to learn English instantly. Identity is increasingly
                                                    recognized as an important variable underpinning for second language learning success (Block, 2007).
                                                    6.3.1 Procedure of the Task
                                                            Divide the class into small groups of two or three students in each,
[ DOI: 10.18869/acadpub.ijree.2.2.1 ]
                                                            Instruct each team to download an English advertisement of its choice from internet,
                                                            Provide time to understand and explain the advertisement within the team,
                                                            Instruct each team to enact a performance similar to the theme or concept of the chosen advertisement,
                                                            Copy each team’s chosen advertisement to the teacher’s computer so that she/he can scrutinize and evaluate,
                                                             and
                                                            Divide the class into small groups of two or three students in each,
                                                            Instruct each team to observe the selected scene on the computer or the Smartphone provided,
                                                            Provide time for preparation,
                                                            Instruct students to give voice over to each character in the specified scene in English,
                                                            When the scene is screened, screen-voice should be muted so that the team members can dub the scene to the
                                                             class, and
                                                            Humorous exchanges or sentences can be used.
                                                    The use of such situations results in more complex language production by learners and higher-order thinking (Nunan,
                                                    1987).
                                                    6.4.2 Objectives Obtained from the Task
                                                            Creativity can be developed,
                                                            English speaking skill can be enhanced,
                                                            Good rapport with classmates can be developed,
                                                            Cognitive skill can be evaluated,
                                                            Observational skill can be developed,
                                                            English vocabulary and sentence structures can be developed, and
[ DOI: 10.18869/acadpub.ijree.2.2.1 ]
                                                            Sense of humor can be estimated. Nault (2008) argued that learners need to work with materials that are more
                                                             relevant of the diverse settings where English is used.
                                                    6.5 Task Five: Sandblot Pictures
                                                    Creative skill of learners can be developed by making the narrative entertaining. Eclectic process of exchanging and
                                                    sharing ideas by expressing ideas with others in diverse is the essential requirement of the task. Learner can be allowed
                                                    to narrate the self-made pictures on their own that would unleash their creativity. Kumararadivelu (2011) observed
                                                    that the development of language learning practice would require teachers’ consciousness development of awareness
                                                    and responsiveness to the content surrounding the learning atmosphere.
                                                            Confidence and moral can be developed when the teacher supports students in a positive way. Activities
                                                             should aim to promote both higher-order skills and lower-order skills (Scrivener, 2007).
                                                    7. Conclusion
                                                    Krashen and Tarrell (1983) are of the view that ‘Language acquisition can take place only when people understand
                                                    messages in the target language’ (p. 19). Through understanding the level of students’ learning abilities and
                                                    capabilities, teachers can focus on providing variety of activities to students to develop their language learning skills.
                                                    Teacher should create a congenial atmosphere in the classroom in which learners would feel comfortable to be a part
                                                    of the learning process. Teacher should encourage and welcome ideas from the students without any prejudice.
                                                    Teacher should give enough private space to students to allow them to think critically and develop their lateral thinking
                                                    for their better future. Using innovative methodologies in teaching English in the classroom will pave a positive way
                                                    to students to learn the language meaningfully. Students will understand the significance of learning English as a
                                                    second language without any fear which will help them to equip with the power of confidence and achievement.
                                                    Teachers should involve wholeheartedly while designing tasks for students as every student in the classroom should
                                                    be involved and benefited. Teachers should also concentrate on providing effective curriculum development for
                                                    students with learning-driven nature instead of examination-driven nature scenario.
                                                    References
                                                     Allwright, D. (1984). The importance of interaction in classroom language learning. Applied Linguistics, 5(2), 156-
                                                         179. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/5.2.156
                                                     Agullo, G. L. (2006). Overcoming               age-relate       differences.   ELT   Journal,   60(4),   365-373.   doi:
[ DOI: 10.18869/acadpub.ijree.2.2.1 ]
                                                        https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccl027
                                                     Anil, B. (2016). Top-up students second langue talk time through Vlogs. Indonesian Journal of EFL and Linguistics,
                                                         1(2), 129-143. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.21462/ijefll.v1i2.9
                                                     Barrett, M. (2007). Children’s knowledge, beliefs and feelings about nation and national groups. Hove: Psychology
                                                         Press.
                                                     Bax, S. (2003). CALL: Past, present and future. System, 31(1), 13–28. doi: 10.1016/S0346-251X(02)00071-4
                                                        Melbourne: ACER.
                                                    Krashen, S. (1981). Second language acquisition and second language learning. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
                                                    Krashen, S. (2004). The Power of reading: Insights from the research (2nd edn). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
                                                    Krashen, S., & Terrell, T. (1983). The natural approach: Language acquisition in the classroom. Oxford: Pergamon.
                                                    Kumaravadivelum, B. (2011). Language teacher education for a global society: A modular model for knowing,
                                                       analyzing, doing, and seeing. London: Routledge.
                                                    Masuhara, H. (2005). Helping learners to achieve multi-dimensional mental representation in L2 reading. Folio:
                                                       Journal of the Materials Development Association, 9(2/1), 6-9.
                                                    Myhill, D. (2006). Talk, talk, talk: Teaching and learning in whole class discourse. Research Papers in Education,
                                                       21(1), 19-41. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02671520500445425
                                                    Nation, I. S. (1997). The language learning benefits of extensive reading. The Language Teacher, 21(5), 13-16.
                                                    Naultm, D. (2008). Going global: Rethinking culture teaching in ELT context. Language Culture and Curriculum,
                                                        19(3), 314-328. doi: 10.1080/07908310608668770
                                                    Nikolor, M., & Mihaljevic Djigunovic, J. (2006). Recent research on age, second language acquisition and early
                                                        foreign language learning. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 26, 234-260. doi:
                                                        https://doi.org/10.1017/S0267190506000122
                                                    Nunan, D. (1987). Communicative language teaching: Making it work. ELT Journal, 41(2), 136-145. doi:
[ DOI: 10.18869/acadpub.ijree.2.2.1 ]
                                                       https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/41.2.136
                                                    Oller, D. K., & Eilers, R. E. (eds) (2002). Language and literacy in bilingual children. New York: Multilingual
                                                        Matters.
                                                    Pecceim, J. S. (2000). Child language. Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press and Routledge.
                                                    Pollock, J. E. (2007). Improve student learning one teacher at a time. Association for Supervision and Curriculum
                                                        Development. Alexandria, VA.