LANGUAGE
ACROSS
THE CURRICULUM-BEd Notes
Unit 4 – Creating language for classroom communication
Prepared by
Sabarish P
TEACHING SKILLS
Teaching is not a single skill but a composite one. Various skills are required by the teacher to make his teaching effective. Teaching is a complex process because it deals with human behaviour which is in itself very dynamic in nature. The teaching process becomes complex when a teacher desires to be an effective and the whole process of teaching and learning result oriented. To achieve this teacher needs to inculcate abilities and skills which will make his teaching effective. The complex process of teaching can be divided into various components that are simple, and defined. These components are called teaching skills which can be identified, practiced, evaluated, controlled and acquired through training.
Teaching
skill is a group of teaching acts or behaviours intended to
facilitate pupil’s learning directly or indirectly. (Passi –
1976). B.K. Passi has given the following list of Teaching Skills in
his book “Becoming Better Teacher; Micro-teaching Approach”
1.
Writing instructional objectives
2. Introducing a lesson
3.
Fluency in questioning
4. Probing questioning
5. Explaining
6.
Illustrating with examples
7. Stimulus variation
8. Silence
and non-verbal cues
9. Reinforcement
10. Increasing pupil
participation
11. Using black board
12. Achieving
Closure
13. Recognizing attending behaviour
Core Teaching Skills
It is not possible to train all the pupil teachers in all these skills in any training programme because of the constraints of time and funds. Therefore a set of teaching skills which cuts across the subject areas has been identified. The set of these skills are known as CORE TEACHING SKILLS.
Core Teaching Skills
Skill of probing Questions
Skill of explaining
Skill of illustrating With Examples
Skill of stimulus Variation
Skill of reinforcement
Skill of questioning
Skill of using Blackboard
Skill of introducing a lesson
What is classroom language?
Classroom language is the routine language that is used on a regular basis in classroom like giving instructions of praise, for example “Take out your books” or “Please sit down”. This is language that teachers are used to using and students are used to hearing, but when teaching a language it takes a while to learn this part of the language.
Teacher language
The use of language and the meaning of language interactions depend on the context and purpose of communications as well as the roles and relationships among the participants. For teachers, full linguistic competence requires the ability to make appropriate use of a variety of language forms (ranging from formal to informal) across the four language modalities: reading, writing, speaking and listening.
Teachers use formal language patterns and terms that are valued in school settings. These expand the meanings of familiar words and provide access to abstract ideas and complex concepts (Zwiers, 2007). Teachers introduce students to the formal language of schooling and help students acquire the language necessary for academic success (Bowers, Fitts, Quirk, & Jung, 2010 ). In both First-language second language contexts, this involves introducing students to an unfamiliar language register, modelling the appropriate use of that register, and providing feedback regarding student use of the formal register. Teachers introduce students to formal academic language through modelling, presentations, and demonstrations that illustrate the vocabulary, language structures, rules of interaction, and ways of acting, thinking, and communicating in formal learning contexts.
Teachers use academic idioms to facilitate activities and describe procedures, tasks, and cognitive processes. The idiomatic expressions used by teachers are many and varied, including “that answer doesn’t hold water,” “that’s a thin argument,” “that’s a keen insight,” “that’s the crux of the matter,” “now you’re on the right track,” “dissect the article,” “support your argument,” and “from the point of view of …” (Zwiers, 2007).
Teachers also require fluent informal language and literacy skills so they can communicate effectively and make personal connections with students and with parents, colleagues, and community members outside the classroom (Macken-Horarik, Devereux, Trimingham-Jack, & Wilson, 2006). For example, teachers are expected to communicate information about student programs and curricula to parents, which might be done in the form of parent-teacher meetings, letters, brochures, or other forms of communication in which information is expressed in informal language.
Language—our words, tone of voice, and pacing— is one of the most powerful tools available to teachers. It permeates every aspect of teaching and learning. Teachers cannot engage children in learning, welcome a student into the room, or handle a classroom conflict without using words.
It is found that most teachers basically use three kinds of classroom talk:
‘rote’ means mechanically practicing facts, ideas and routines;
‘recitation’ refers to the accumulation of knowledge and understanding through questions to test the pupils’ previous knowledge or to apply them clues in the question to work it out; ‘
instruction/exposition’ concerns ‘telling the pupil what to do, imparting information and explaining facts, principles or procedures’.
Still, some teachers apply two additional kinds of classroom talk which have greater cognitive potential:
discussion and
scaffolded dialogue.
The former, existing between teacher-class, teacher-group or pupil-pupil, means the exchange of ideas in sharing information and solving problems (Alexander, 2000). While the latter refers to ‘achieving common understanding through structured and cumulative questioning and discussion which guide and prompt, reduce choices, minimize risk and error, and expedite ‘handover’ of concepts and principles’ (ibid).
Teacher attitude
Teacher attitude to language and use of language by the teacher can provide a crucial role model for students. The vocabulary, sentence structure, and register of language that the teacher uses should on the one hand be accessible to the student and on the other provide sufficient challenge to extend the student’s awareness of the possibilities of language. It is important, too, that the teacher consistently models the full range of non-verbal cues, including tone of voice, facial expression, and gesture.
Students class room language
LATE
I’m sorry I’m late. May I come in please?
I was talking to the Maths teacher.
HOMEWORK
Sorry, I forgot my homework at home.
I haven’t done my homework.
I didn’t have time to finish my homework.
What’s the homework?
Can you repeat the homework?
COMPREHENSION LANGUAGE
What does …. mean?
How do you say … in English?
How do you spell this word?
How do you pronounce this word?
I don’t understand.
Can you repeat please?
I’m sorry, I didn’t hear.
Speak more slowly, please.
Is this OK / right / correct?
Like this?
Sorry, I’m lost.
What do you mean?
Can you explain that again?
Teacher, I have a question.
Can you help me, please?
Can you write it on the board?
DURING THE LESSON
Which page are we on?
Which book?
What exercise is it?
Who, me?
Sorry, where are we?
Do I have to write this on my notebook?
I’ve finished / done this.
What do we have to do now? / What must we do now?
What shall I do next?
Excuse me / Sorry, could I ask / say something?
When is the exam?
When is the deadline for this project?
Have you corrected the exams?
Could you speak more slowly, please?
We can conclude that the quality of student learning is closely associated with the quality of classroom discourse. Thus, as teachers, we should attach more importance to spoken discourse during classroom interaction. We should manage to act more often as consultants but not just mere transmitters of information; we should recognize various group-based discussions as real work; and we should encourage students to generate their own questions and to explore alternative answers. Moreover, authentic questions should be structured to encourage thoughtful answers, and further student questions built on previous responses are promoted. In addition, oral tasks should be given greater prominence than it is in the traditional ratio of spoken and written tasks. In order to achieve this, teachers ought to improve self-teaching skills. If we can improve the quality of classroom discourse, we can certainly raise the quality of student learning.
Prepared by
Sabarish P
