Language Teaching Using Multiple Methods—A Case Study

BACKGROUND OF MY SCHOOL:

The school I work in has all the necessary infrastructure, having all the basic amenities, that one can find in a full-fledged school. However, the economic background of the students of our school, who reside nearby, is comparatively low as compared to the students of urban areas.

PECULIAR STRENGTHS OF THE SCHOOL:

Most of our teachers are quite dedicated to their profession. All of us try to provide life-oriented education to our students. The education policy of our school is centered around the child. We attempt to facilitate joyful learning through the use of demonstrative methodology and engaging activities.

• Do you ever hesitate to speak in English?
• Do you recall all the activities done in school hours regularly to get rid of your stage fear?
• The students responded to all the questions with the help of emoticons: happy face for the questions that they agreed to; sad face for their disagreement; neutral face for the questions they do not want to answer. Following this, we had a group discussion regarding the questions and the responses of the students.

DIAGNOSIS:

In order to rectify the prevalent situation, I made an effort to help my students overcome their fear of the English language. I made them listen and watch audios and videos that would enhance their speaking and learning. I constantly gave them the assurance that English is not an alien language and that it can be learnt organically.

• Do you ever hesitate to speak in English?
• Do you listen to your teacher’s instructions?
• Do you understand the importance of speaking in English?
• Do you learn English with curiosity?
• Do you like to read books in English?
• Do you apply the newly learnt words in your day-to-day interactions with others?
• Do you recall all the activities done in school hours regularly to get rid of your stage fear?
• The students responded to all the questions with the help of emoticons: happy face for the questions that they agreed to; sad face for their disagreement; neutral face for the questions they do not want to answer. Following this, we had a group discussion regarding the questions and the responses of the students.

DIAGNOSIS:

In order to rectify the prevalent situation, I made an effort to help my students overcome their fear of the English language. I made them listen and watch audios and videos that would enhance their speaking and learning. I constantly gave them the assurance that English is not an alien language and that it can be learnt organically.

INITIAL LEVEL OF INTERVENTIONS:

There were a few interventions that I engaged in, which are given under the following headings.

ADDRESSING INADEQUATE COMPREHENSION:

To address the issue faced in proper comprehension of the language by the students, I tried to use the vocabulary of senior classes as a tool. I selected a few students who would be involved in developing English throughout the school. I encouraged these students to stick to English while conversing with others, and that motivated the other students to speak and overcome their fear of using English in their everyday lives.

DIFFICULTY IN PRONUNCIATION:

As an initial step, I made my students learn a set of vocabulary, as that is the first step towards learning a language. However, my attempt was unsuccessful since the students struggled even with the pronunciation of those words. As a result, the comprehension of the words also became a major issue.

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS:

I ensured that the students find the classroom to be a comfortable and peaceful place to learn. I helped them to use the internet in order to learn a few things. Conducting discussions in the classroom proved as a useful tool for kindling their thoughts. These simple steps helped the students gain the confidence to speak freely and express themselves.

There were a number of methods that supported me to teach language. They have been listed below.

PLAYWAY METHOD:

I usually start my class with an activity. This encourages the students to be more active in the classroom. Language Learning language becomes fun through these activities, which enhances learning by providing entertainment. Most of the students participate actively in these games and activities. Given below is an example of one of the activities I conducted in my class.

Groups were formed as per the strength of the class. I asked the students, who were standing in front, to start a story with one or two lines. Then, I asked the other students to continue the same story by adding a few lines of their own creation. This is continued till the last student gets to speak. This activity help in improving the creativity of the students, and it also works towards boosting their confidence.

A few games that we play in my classroom are as follows:

• Story-telling
• Word weeks
• Mime game
• Hot seat
• Talk instant
• Play word

ROLE PLAY:

Role play is yet another interesting activity that I conduct in my classroom. Most of the students are actively involved in role playing. They take up certain roles and make the necessary set up to enact a situation. This activity helps the students in improving their vocabulary. Every time we have this activity, the students become curious and are in the mood to learn through acting.

TEACHING THROUGH SMARTPHONE APPS:

Multimedia is another medium which allows students to explore new things. I use some useful apps that are suitable for education in my classroom. This creates more interest among the students. The students voluntarily create content for the videos, and this shows their creativity as well as their interest to learn.

REFLECTION:

After having employed a number of methods to teach language to my students, I find that my students have gradually started to focus more on speaking in English. They have started to ask about new words that were unknown to them. I find my students eagerly waiting for my classes. I think this was the achievement that I could have asked for. I felt proud of my students. If one does not lose hope and continues trying out new methods to teach in the classroom, one will succeed in making their students brighter and better.

Author: P.Thangachiyamma, B.T. ASSISTANT, Panchayat Union Middle School, Odacherry, Thiruvarur block, Thiruvarur district.