How Teachers Utilize English Teaching Methods

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

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English as Second Language (ESL) broadly refers to the teaching of English to those learners for whom English is not a first language. Many different people may be ESL students for various reasons. They could be immigrants who have recently arrived and settled in the country. This forms the majority of the ESL students and includes refugee families. Other people who may require ESL services are children adopted from overseas, international students and native born non-English individuals such as Native Americans, Hispanics and Pacific Islanders. Dialect-different individuals who speak a dialect of English different from the standard English used in a school or job-setting in the united states many also receive ESL services. Examples of such individuals are those from Malaysia, Hong Kong and the Caribbean where English is spoken but the dialect may differ significantly to cause communication problems in the United States (Ashworth, 2000). A large percentage of the ESL students are adults. Sometimes, they are international students who have come to the English speaking countries for higher education but need to improve their English skills prior to joining university or collection. In some cases, they are already enrolled but require English support to help them improve their English. In other cases, adults immigrate to the English speaking countries. Like children, they have a wide range of education and language proficiency levels. Some may not be literate in their own language. In contrast, others may have advanced degrees from their own countries and already proficient in a number of other languages. Moreover, others travel to the English speaking countries as visiting professionals in government or business. While there they may want to improve their English. Apparently, the needs of the ESL learners can vary widely.

There is no one best strategy, method or approach to teach English to non-English speakers because the needs and circumstances of the learners vary so greatly. To determine the most appropriate approach, the teacher needs to take into account many variables such as the needs of the learners, demographics such as age and occupation, other languages studied before, education level attained and how much the learners know their own language. Although there may be no single best approach, there are best approaches and strategies for particular circumstances. In addition, to be a professional and effective teacher of English to non-English speakers, one must be aware of the different strategies and methods that have been developed. Most effective teachers choose from a number of strategies, methods and approaches to create a learning environment that suits the needs of the learners. These strategies are often integrated together to create a varied syllabus and optimum learning experience – sometimes this is referred to as selective eclecticism (Ashworth, 2000). However, the teacher must always consider the outcomes of the approaches adopted and the long term effectiveness of the strategies taking the needs of the ESL learners in mind.

Several scholars have researched and published literature on how teachers can utilize methods and strategies to help non-English speakers learn English. Atkinson (2010) explores use of instructional vocabulary strategies to improve reading comprehension among ESL students. Students from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries often struggle with poor reading skills which impacts their academic performance (Atkinson, 2010). The cultural differences of these countries and the English speaking countries accounts for this challenge. The culture of the Gulf region is strongly oral-based where reading even for leisure is not common. Consequently, when students from the GCC countries reach the tertiary level of education where English is the primary language of instruction, they often have poor reading skills. Research has demonstrated a strong connection between reading comprehension and knowledge of general vocabulary words. Multiple exposures to general vocabulary and use of interactive instructional methods have been documented as some of the strategies that can effectively improve the mastery of vocabularies and reading comprehension skills. Atkinson documents that exposure to many vocabularies improves reading comprehension. Three models – the knowledge model, the instrumentalist model and the aptitude model have affirmed the link between the two. The instrumentalist model shows that exposure many vocabularies directly makes the learners good readers. The aptitude model promulgates that learners with more reading frequency have better mental agility compared to those with who read less frequently. The knowledge model links concepts and association with word knowledge.

Several studies have been completed on the number of times one should encounter a word during reading before they can learn it. Results range from as many as twenty times to as few as six. Two of the studies have independently showed the same number of encounters – six. This shows that teachers can use this approach to improve English reading skills among the non-English speakers. One of the strategy is to encourage pleasure reading to improve vocabulary acquisition. However, this method can be ineffective in ESL learners such as those from the GCC countries since they often have low interest in pleasure reading as a result of the cultural influence. Atkinson (2010) gives some effective strategies teachers can employ to improve vocabulary acquisition. One is pre-teaching vocabularies, where the teacher teaches the vocabularies before the reading so that the students can understand them during reading. However, the teacher ought to provide more support as such words are easily forgotten. This can be done through use of both contextual and definitional approaches and direct instructional methods as well as reinforcement through repeated exposure. Atkinson (2010) further recommend the teaching of the first 3000 words of the British National Corpus (BNC) since they are among the most common words and are frequently encountered in literatures. This will help the ESL students such as the Gulf students to master vocabularies.

Adesope, Lavin, Thompson and Ungerleider (2010) discuss the pedagogical strategies that can be used to teach literacy to ESL students. They begin by highlighting the importance of the immigrants to economies of the developed countries such as the United States and Canada where immigrants make approximately 12.5 and 20 percent of the population respectively. Similarly, ESL students make up a large percentage of the students in these English-speaking countries. Since English is the primary language of instruction, these ESL students face unique challenges since it is not their first language. They do not perform as well as non-immigrant students and the most difficulties reported are in writing and reading. Research shows mixed outcomes on the effectiveness of bilingual approach for literacy instruction among the ESL students. Some have found that bilingual approaches using both English and the native language of the students offers no extra benefit as compared to English-only instruction. However, other differ by reporting that bilingual instruction has moderate beneficial effects with others reporting small but beneficial impacts of the outcomes.

Adesope et al. (2010) evaluate several pedagogical strategies used to improve literacy among ESL immigrant students. The meta-analysis examines findings of 26 studies done on effective of various pedagogical strategies used to teach English literacy among ESL students. They review intensive reading instructions, cooperative reading, free and structured writing, systematic phonics instruction, multimedia-assisted reading and guided reading. The evidence provided indicates that systematic phonics instruction, cooperative reading and diary and structured writing are significantly effective pedagogical strategies for English instruction among the immigrant students. These strategies have been demonstrated to be effective to ESL immigrant students in all grades ranging from the kindergarten to sixth grade. They can enhance English language instruction and literacy among the ESL immigrant students across different educational levels. They have been proven to increase competence in writing and reading. Nevertheless, the meta-analysis also underscores the need for the teachers to put specific contexts of each school before adopting the pedagogical strategies; some may require development of structured activities and further training of the teachers (Adesope et al., 2011).

Another strategy that has been explored in the ESL instruction is the use of multiple technologies and literature. Traore and Kyei-Blankson (2011) document the increasing integration of the literary texts and different technologies in the instruction and curriculum of the ESL instruction. Technology is increasingly being used to supplement learning across all educational levels. ESL teachers use technologies such as overhead projectors, audio and video tapes, software programs and cameras to enrich their teaching methods. Studies indicate that use of this approach creates a positive learner experience and motivates the ESL students to develop strategies for successful learning. The use of literature has attracted both support and derision in equal measures. Those against the use of literature argue that it is normally specific to a given culture or situation, complex and conceptually difficult to comprehend thus rendering it of no much value in the education of ESL students. On the other hand, the supporters of inclusion of literature in the instruction argue that it can result in improvement of reading proficiency. Technologies such as audio-lingual instructions help to focus attention on oral drillings and pronunciation. Software programs such as grammar translation help the ESL learners to translate words and statements from their native language to English. Among the most effective strategies used in language instruction since ages are communicative, grammar translation, reading, audio-lingual, counselling learning, and direct, cognitive and audio-lingual approaches. Use of technology helps create a supportive environment and improve the communication competence as well as helps to improve the students’ knowledge of vocabularies. Writing, reading, speaking and listening are documented as the fundamental activities in learning of languages. Although textbooks give an opening to practice these activities, they are not sufficient. Integration of literary texts in the ESL students’ instruction creates an opportunity for them to interact with the language as they get introduced to new vocabularies. Moreover, literature also creates motivation and stimulates interests in other cultures. It also aids in building fluency. An advantage of the literature materials is that are cheaper and often available in easy-to-use formats such as movies, tapes and CDs/DVDs. Traore and Kyei-Blankson (2011) also explain that use of multiple technologies such as word processors and presentation software , practice software and internet help all ESL students regardless of their background to engage in instruction effectively. They also help to focus attention of the learners.

Batt et al. (1988) gives an overview of some of the approaches and strategies that have been used in Philadelphia and beyond. The audio-lingual is one of the method where students are given an oral presentation followed by written, pattern practice involving memorization and drills. However, this approach was slated for its concentration of drills and giving out of context instruction. Communicative competence is a more recent methodology that teaches the ESL students the ability to use as well as understand English language in different contexts such as formal and informal situations. It also strives to teach them non-verbal communication as well as verbal. Another strategy is the learner-centered approach. This approach involves the students generating themes of discussion, writing and reading; the focus shifts from the teachers to the students – the teacher serves as a facilitator instead of playing the conventional role of expert. Batt (1988) explains that most methods are eclectic, involving integration of two or more methods depending on the students. Other new strategies include the natural approach, community language learning, the total physical response and the silent way. The natural approach focuses on giving the learners listening activities (Ashworth, 2000). The community language is also known as counselling learning and is founded on the concern for positive human relationships. The teachers serve as a resource while the learners initiate whatever they want to communicate. In the total physical way the main focus is on listening where the teacher gives instructions most of the time while the learners respond silently to the commands. In the silent way approach, the teachers talks a little and then gives the students time for oral practice based on whatever they has been introduced. In conclusion, there numerous methods that can help the ESL teachers to enrich their teaching and make the teaching-learning process more effective. Some may require formal training while others are learnt through practice. It is the duty of every teacher to develop an effective style of instruction based on the needs of the ESL students.