Current Trends in ELT

nullCurrent Trends in ELTCurrent Trends in ELTYu, Weihua Doctor of Education Professor of English School of Foreign Languages Hangzhou Normal UniversityWhat this talk will cover….What this talk will cover….Question prompts in ELT Some Popular beliefs about language learning Language Learning and teaching strategies Summary of what the research tells us about language learning Comments and reflections on LT ConclusionsQuestions that prompted innovations and new directions in LT in the past:Questions that prompted innovations and new directions in LT in the past:What should the goals of language teaching be? Should language teaching try to focus on conversational proficiency, reading, translation, or some other skill(s)? What is the basic nature of language, and how will this affect language teaching method(s)? What are the principles for the selection of language content in LT? What principles of organization, sequencing, and presentation best facilitate learning? What should the role of the native language be? What processes do learners use in mastering a language, and can these be incorporated into a method? What teaching techniques and activities work best and under what circumstances?It is recommended that the following principles be integrated in the teaching:It is recommended that the following principles be integrated in the teaching: Experiential learning: Learners explore and learn from their own learning or teaching/observing experiences through involving themselves in the activities: Keeping diaries/ journals/ /portfolios/classroom observations Reflective learning: Learners relate their own learning or teaching/observing experiences to the theories, analyze and reflect on the differences between past and new experiences /observations: Develop cognitive/logical thinking/summarize the systematic rules for ss. Collaborative learning: Learners should engage themselves in learning by cooperating in the group tasks such as pair work, group work, or class work; Humanistic approach: Learners are the main doers of the teaching process with instructors playing the role of facilitating, mentoring, and support. Three dimensions of ELT that facilitate English language learning: Four fundamental goals of education：learning to learn/know; learning to do; learning to be; learning to live togetherSome Popular BeliefsSome Popular BeliefsChildren learn to speak by imitating their parents Adults learn a new language by repetition and drills Our native language interferes with our learning of a new language Language teachers must correct every error made by their studentsWhat we now know about language learning….What we now know about language learning….Children learn to speak by imitating their parents Children create their own versions of language; not by imitating their parents but by using their innate language abilities (Language Universals) Adults learn a new language by repetition and drills Adults use repetition only to learn simple patterns and formulaic speech; the more complex speech patterns are learned through hypothesis formation (Cognitive & Meta-cognitive Abilities) What we now know about language learning….What we now know about language learning….Our native language interferes with our learning of a new language Second language learners turn to their first language only at the beginning; in later stages they depend on their cognitive abilities to “figure things out” Language teachers must correct every error made by their students Correcting our students’ errors is effective only when they are at a point when they are capable of acquiring a new insight, hence we speak of “learnability” and “teachability” The Language Universals HypothesisThe Language Universals HypothesisNoam Chomsky proposed that all humans are born with an innate Universal Grammar This is not made up of grammar rules, but rather it is a set of general principles that apply to all languages—e.g., all languages have classes of words to name objects (nouns) and to describe actions (verbs); and there is a finite number of discrete sounds used to pronounce language Chomsky distinguished between acquisition (which happens naturally for all humans) and development (which is influenced by our level of maturity, how much memory capacity we have or what our cognitive abilities may be) Evidence for these claims comes from the language development of small children—e.g., they do not need practice sessions or drills, and their language is characterized by creative language constructions (which for an adult would be called an error)Learning and Teaching StrategiesLearning and Teaching StrategiesTeach your students formulaic speech in the early stages to encourage early communication Routines: whole utterances (Hello. My name is Jack. What is your name?) Patterns: partially analyzed chunks with one or more open slots (I woke up at 6 a.m. today and arrived in class at 8:30 a.m. 7 a.m., yesterday) Expect to hear “creative speech” and analyze it for clues about what your students are learning about the language Make use of “teachable moments” to help your learners understand a grammatical point Identify your students’ current language ability and concentrate on teaching a point that is just one step more advanced Maintain a stress-free classroom where your students feel comfortable and unafraid to make errorsSummary of what the research tells us about language learning(1)Summary of what the research tells us about language learning(1)Real language ability is acquired; it is not taught Teachers can facilitate learning; students must do the learning themselves Errors are useful for teachers because they provide clues about our students’ progress The effective teacher makes expert use of teachable momentsComments and reflections on LT(1):Comments and reflections on LT(1): The discovery of classical texts in the Renaissance causes an explosion of interest in ancient culture and knowledge. Fluency in the Latin language is the key to access this intellectual wealth, and Latin reigns as the international language of politics, scholarship, and commerce. In response to the need to simultaneously develop functional competence in Latin and in a wide range of subject areas, the early humanists create private schools that offer a radically new curriculum in the humanities. Guarino Guarini (1374-1460, Italy）’s school is particularly successful; he earns a reputation as one of the greatest language teacher all the time. His son, Battista, attempts to document his father’s methodology for future generations, but the final product fails to capture Guarino’s vision. While Guarino Guarini stressed meaning, communication and content, his son Battista Guarino’s theory of language teaching is that accuracy from the beginning is necessary in order to avoid fossilization of errors, that reading in a second language is fundamentally an exercise in decoding and that writing consists of the application of grammatical rules. Comments and reflections on LT(2): Comments and reflections on LT(2): in the 16th century when Latin was no longer a functional language in the Jesuit College, students failed to acquire functional language ability. It is true that students practiced translation. Text remained important for the information it contained, but it was no longer the vehicle for language learning. Surely, the failure of Latin to become the language of wider communication among the general population played a major role in its death in the curriculum. But the separation of language and content had far-reaching and lasting effects on language teaching. The trend towards rules, prevalent in all aspects of sixteenth-century life, overpowered the humanist theory of language teaching supported by Ignatius and Guarino. Comments and reflections on LT (3): Comments and reflections on LT (3):In the 17the century, Johannes Amos Comenius (1592-1670), Czech education reformer, was eclectic and torn between a theory that considered language a system of communication—a way of exchanging meaning—and a teaching practice that relied on inflexible lesson plans, absolute accuracy, and lockstep progress. In his book, The Great Didactic, he claims in Rule 3 that “languages are easier to learn by practice and learn the content than from rules”, but in Rule 4 he also asserts that “but rules assist and strengthen the knowledge derived from practice” (p. 206). Comments and reflections on LT (4):Comments and reflections on LT (4):The historical evidence unequivocally confirms the necessity of conveying the theoretical framework that supports the use of particular methodologies and materials to the language practitioners. It is precisely in this arena where the historical reformers failed. (No theoretical framework, no evelasting approach) None of the documents destined to transmit their innovations to future generations reflected the fundamental change in beliefs that regard language as a system of communication and second anguage acquisition as a developmental process during which learners must engage in the interpretation and expression of meaning. The diachronic perspective on second language teaching confirms that the impetus for change can only come from those who have a thorough grounding in theory and whose research takes them into classrooms where real learners and teachers create meaning in second language. Fullan (2007) advocated the need for historical analysis to examine second language teaching within its wider historical, social, and political context . The task of conveying theory into practice continues to challenge applied linguists. Shall we fare (get along) any better than our predecessors?Comments and reflections on LT (5): A look into the future: Comments and reflections on LT (5): A look into the future: Only a century ago, no one imagined that a language could ever again hold the unprecedented sway that Latin once held over the world of scholarship, government, commerce, and international communication. Yet, today, the English language enjoys much the same status as Latin did during its height in the time of Guarino. Are we confident in its perpetuality, as the humanists were of Latin’s? Will English become the language of wider communication for all, or will it be limited to an intellectual, political, or social elites, or the nationalistic interests once again, impede the propagation of a truly universal language? If English were to eventually follow the route of Latin, first, the language of an elite, later as a prestigious, but foreign, language of the middle class, and finally as an academic dinosaur, what would happen? Like the generations who preceded us, we cannot begin to fathom what language may replace it. A computerized dialect perhaps? Take note: There may be an interesting story to tell. The focus of the future will be the communication using English as an international language between non-native speakers of English (cf. native speakers v.s. native speakers; non-native speakers v.s. native speakers; non-native speakers v.s. non-native speakers) (See David Graddol, 2006, English Next, British Council) Conclusions ~ Language is a system of arbitrary symbols with conventionalised meanings used for the purpose of human communication. ~ The nature, purposes and aims of EFL education should be the instruction of the use of the target language/ English for international communication as English has become a recognised world language now. ~ To produce desirable outcomes of EFL education, EFL educators should try to create a bilingual immersion environment to increase their students’ constant and intensive exposure to learning the target language so as to be able to acquire as much comprehensible input and produce as much comprehensible output as possible. ~ EFL education should integrate the students’ study of academic content/subject matter with the development of their language skills in clearly argued and explicit ways so that they could develop and acquire a bilingual competence. ~ EFL education should adopt a learner-centred instructional methodology, based on the analysis/assessment of students’ academic and professional needs and interests.Language learning is a process of habit formation.Questions are welcome! Thank you for your participation!Questions are welcome! Thank you for your participation!weihuayu@hznu.edu.cn