target language-based classroom

diudiusummer · Post by **diudiusummer** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 6:57 am

As a teacher teaching EFT in the elementary school, I always have a question,ie. Should I always speak the target language( English) during the whole process in order to create an authentic-like environment for students? However, I feel puzzled that if I explain grammer in English, they understand it less. Furthermore, I cann't see any effects when I teach my class in English, and it seems to be not welcomed by my students. What can I do? still speaking English in the class, speaking mother tongue, or both?

emerald · Post by **emerald** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 2:10 pm

To my knowledge, English teachers always want to give students a language environment, and so they keep speaking English throughout the whole class. However, it is not a wise way to do so, especially in teaching grammar. Sometimes we can easily find out that using mother tongue may clearly state the grammar rules than target language does. So I think we may using L1 as a supplement way.

vcautin · Post by **vcautin** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 3:48 pm

I think that some L1 in certain cases won't hurt. It rather easens the transition at least for beginners, but you should also encourage your students to use L2 specially in questions asking for permission to go to the bathroom, asking for the meaning of a word, etcetc.

lolwhites · Post by **lolwhites** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 6:18 pm

I agree with vcautin. When I was a newbit teaching kids in Spain I would feel guilty if I couldn't get through the lesson without using Spanish, but I actually found it more effective to use it. It meant the kids couldn't insult me in Spanish with impunity

Having said that, I've seen teachers say things like "Open your book at page 22" in the students' L1 - that sort of thing should, in my view, really be done in the target language.

diudiusummer · Post by **diudiusummer** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 5:35 am

Thanks to all of you! but, I have another question, when you speak in the target language, whether your students express their defensive emotions?
In my class, there often appears such a phenomenon: students always complain they can't understand ,if not totally, at least most of my words. Therefore, i have to translate into the mother tongue, you know, it is quite time-consuming. What about your classes?

drags · Post by **drags** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 9:36 am

I vote for 'English only' rule in the classroom

Simplify as much as possible..

lolwhites · Post by **lolwhites** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 1:29 pm

Simplify for whom? Sometimes you have to choose between spending masses of lesson time explaining an item of vocabulary in English (which wasn't the main focus of your lesson anyway) when you could just give a simple translation and have done with it.

I agree that L1 should be kept down to a minimum but I wouldn't be too dogmatic about it. And you have to be firm about using L1 when you know the students can cope with it but are just being lazy. This could be the case with diudiusummer's students, but only he/she could comment on that. If I had a euro for every lazy teenager who wanted me to say everything in L1 to save them the bother of actually doing any work in class, I could have retired by now.

diudiusummer · Post by **diudiusummer** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 2:07 am

Thanks, I must think it over again and discuss with my students about this.

doriangray · Post by **doriangray** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 2:57 am

Even if you only half-subscribe to Krashen's view that 'language is best acquired from messages that are just slightly beyond students' current competence' (rather than learned), then maximising student exposure to real language is crucial

lolwhites · Post by **lolwhites** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 8:41 am

doriangray wrote:Even if you only half-subscribe to Krashen's view ...

Or even if you don't

millicent · Post by **millicent** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 2:59 am

Definitely we should always try to use target language in our class as much as possible. The matrer only is how to use it.
For one question, the students reject our using of English just for the reason of do not understand. We have many way to solve that problem.
We can try to make our expression as simple as we can. Perhaps you can say you can not express English at the level which can be understood by your student. That is the question of yourself, not the target language. You are not very clear with what can be understood. (as a qualified teacher you should be!). Or you do not have the ability to state clear a matter in English. Both the situation can be solved by you own endeavorment in future, provided you want to be a good teacher. The target language inself should not take the blame.
On the other hand, the mother tangue is not totally rejected in the second language class. On the ground that you can explain most of the material in English, you can use your L1 to explain the part which is really very to difficult.
Just imagine what will the student think about a English teacher who cannot use English very well!
Students will disgust this kind of teacher even more. Surely the students wil love teacher who can explain English at the level they can understand easily with standard pronunciation. That is a great emotion to student to activated their desir to study.

deborah8890 · Post by **deborah8890** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 9:22 am

i think the "english only" rule can be applied flexibly. students should be encouraged to express their complicated ideas by adopting such strategies as simplifying the ideas, breaking down the sentences or helping themselves with gestures.
with regard to the intructions of grammar rules, i think it is absolutely unnecessary to adopt this rule because no misunderstanding should be tolerated. L1 is very helpful at this point, but some examples in english are important to give the learners a better understanding.

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