Generalised Failure in English Teaching / Learning

[sancoi]

Hello everybody,

I'm a Spanish Teacher of English looking for the reason why the educational system in my country is a complete failure as far as the teaching of Enlglish is concerned. Pupils here start to learn English at the age of four years old and when they finish the Secondary School and are about to enter the university, they can hardly express their thoughts in English. They hold no fluency at all in either speaking, listening, reading or writing in English on average. Therefore, even though English is growingly becoming more and more necessary for everyone and there is a noticeable pressure to learn it from the job market, there seem to be no good solution for students to acquire an acceptable knowledge or level in this language. Only those children regularly visiting English-speaking countries manage to grasp a good level of English. But this is something that not everyone can afford, unluckily. What can we as Teachers of English do to get the best results in our duty?

[maripi]

First at all, I would like to know where you are from, maybe your students are not interested in speaking English because they have not realized if they need it or not.
I think in some schools they do not use English to communicate, they just teach it in a grammar context; this is an important reason because students do not learn it. I'm sure if you teach English in a communicative approach they are going to speak English.

[Santi Colomer]

Hello again and tyhanks for your reply,

you are really right when saying that they are taught English in an absolutely grammar context. Unfortunately, that's what we teachers are expected and instructed to do. Moreover, even though English is the target language of the session, instructions are mainly done in the native language (Catalan in my case) since students don't have the desirable level so as to understand a full session or instruction in English. Besides, they have no interest at all in learning a new language because they see no point in it, no immediate profit or benefit. It's then so hard to motivate them and to get them involved in the communication process. They only want to learn what they will be asked about in the exam: grammar. But what is grammar? That¡s completely unreal, tha's an invention of we teachers and linguists in order for people to easier learn and study a new language. what is grammar without real communication and interactive participation and actual, frequent and fruitful use of the target language?

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[Guest]

yes.i agree if learning language without communication ,it is not the final objective for us to do that.... from my point of view...i have learnt english for years. even now..i have more chance to read english books or speak.. but still very shy to speak... one reason is that .. friends around me all get used to speak native language, to some extent, it views that so natural to speak native language rather than foreign language( english). as times pass by..the less you open mouth to speak, the less willling to speak afterwards.. right now.. my case is that i only speak english with friends who are not able to speak native language.. something like i am forced to speak......when we speak..is it much concerned about the grammer?

[linss2560]

yes.i agree if learning language without communication ,it is not the final objective for us to do that.... from my point of view...i have learnt english for years. even now..i have more chance to read english books or speak.. but still very shy to speak... one reason is that .. friends around me all get used to speak native language, to some extent, it views that so natural to speak native language rather than foreign language( english). as times pass by..the less you open mouth to speak, the less willling to speak afterwards.. right now.. my case is that i only speak english with friends who are not able to speak native language.. something like i am forced to speak......when we speak..is it much concerned about the grammer?

[Guest]

First at all, I would like to know where you are from, maybe your students are not interested in speaking English because they have not realized if they need it or not.
I think in some schools they do not use English to communicate, they just teach it in a grammar context; this is an important reason because students do not learn it. I'm sure if you teach English in a communicative approach they are going to speak English.

[María]

I think we as teachers have to find ways to motivate our students to learn English. I know that they do not see any point to do it, but if they realised that they can speak English for a purpose maybe they are going to make an effort to learn. I have found a way. I ask my sutudents to chat in Internet, but they have to do it in English so when we go to the computer lab and they can chat in English they feel comfortable and then they want to improve their own knowledge. I hope it can help you. Thanks any way to listen to me.

[lds]

I agree with you ,if someone want to speak English freely and clearly he must forget his native langrage.and if some one want his speaking -english lever up,he must make chance to speak and write,the best chance that he can speak english with american or englishman ,even he can become this person's student,that ,he will have many chance to study perfect prounceation.many pepole said that speak englidh is very difficult,because we are shy,we are afriad to make a mistake .but if we didnot make a mistake we wont have progress.
I want we can become friende to chang our view and make our english progress.

[carles]

Hi all,

I am Catalan too and I know this problem, but the solution is hard to get, since there is no language which can be learned only in the classroom. There are a few movie theaters which display movies with subtitles and many parents are not worried about the English learning process of their children. So I think we need more tools so that children can acquire a better level of English.

Take care