scholarly journals Theatre as a Communicative Strategy for Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Primary Education Undergraduates: A Pedagogical Experience

2020 ◽  
pp. 133-150
Author(s):  
Betlem Soler Pardo

As language teachers we are constantly trying to establish a suitable atmosphere in which communication skills can be fully developed through activities or exercises which involve a stimulus, as a language is learnt more easily when the elements used to teach are more appealing. Theatre can perform this role as it is an educational tool that has been explored for the instructions of languages since the emergence of the Communicative Approach. The purpose of this article is twofold: firstly, to examine the effectiveness of theatre in general with reference to the numerous arguments in favour of using this didactic tool in the classroom. Secondly, to draw attention to the benefits and challenges of using theatre to teach a foreign language at university level by presenting the performance of eight plays based on popular tales in the classroom through a series of practical activities using the task-based learning methodology.

Author(s):  
Ольга Миколюк

This article examines the communicative approach as one of the most successful methods of teaching English nowadays. The basic principles are aimed at teachers and students, efficient classroom activities and styles of learning. Furthermore, there are some guidelines for teachers and even a critique of communicative language teaching in this article.


Author(s):  
Victoriia Dоmina

Cultural globalization of different countries, extended social circle of future teachers, exchange programs, emigration, scientific and professional contacts with representatives of other cultures call for the need to study foreign languages. Current changes pose new pedagogical challenges for scholars in terms of instilling communication culture while preparing future teachers of foreign languages. The article studies the concept of bilingualism, bilingual communication culture and its specifics, scope and relations with other concepts. The author argues that bilingualism is an essential component of general communication culture of future teachers, crucial for them to exchange information and share experience by means of their mother and foreign tongues. Specifics of professional training for future foreign language teachers implies the need for bilingual communication, the effectiveness of which depends on the mastery of languages as well as ability to organize language interaction and communication skills. One possible way to develop bilingual communication culture in the process of preparing future foreign language teachers to their professional activity is engaging the model of developing linguistic and communication skills of bilinguality. It is this bilingual training system that allows students to perceive general aspects of communication culture and its fundamental principles, determins the specifics of bilingual communication and features of professionally oriented expression in the process of comprehending bilingual communication culture as a whole. Integration of languages and cultures contributes to identification, classification, organization and evaluation of objects of the world around us, facilitates adaptation to new cultural environment, helps organize and coordinate activities, encourage other participants of language groups to act correctly.


Author(s):  
Gloria Luque Agulló

This paper describes the steps involved in designing educational programs for pre-service English language teachers in Secondary education within the Spanish context, following the current educational law (LOMCE).  Considering the century-long search for the best method within TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language), and the continuous reforms of educational laws in Spain, pre-service teachers must learn the competences and skills essential for designing of their own teaching program. The series of steps described here will enable teachers to show accountability to educational authorities and increase their self-confidence, subsequently improving their craft in the language classroom.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofia P. Tsakalidou

Spelling is a basic skill as well as means of acquiring knowledge over the school years. Moreover, it is a complex cognitive process, which can be challenging for learners with specific learning difficulties (dyslexia) in their mother language as well as when learning a foreign language. A challenge, that foreign language teachers face in everyday practice, is being able to respond to the needs of all learners within the mainstream classroom in primary education, including learners with dyslexia. Foreign language teachers need to become equipped with further knowledge and skills, so that they are able to identify these difficulties and teach learners with dyslexia more effectively in an inclusive way (Tsakalidou, Koufokotsiou, & Gaganis, in press; Tsakalidou, 2021, 2020, in press). In the present study we examined the spelling difficulties of learners with dyslexia, when learning German as a second foreign language. The aim of the study was twofold: (a) the comparative analysis of the spelling difficulties across two populations (95 learners between 10 and 11 years, twenty of who had dyslexia) and (b) the evaluation of the effectiveness of spelling intervention in respect to learners with dyslexia. In this article we will describe the Spelling Test constructed and adjusted for the doctoral research, which was undertaken in order to record the spelling difficulties that the learners with dyslexia face, when learning German as a second foreign language in primary education. This test was based on a standardized Spelling Test in the Greek language (Mouzaki, Protopapas, Sideridis, & Simos, 2010). As far as the Spelling Test, we constructed is concerned, satisfactory construct validity and internal reliability were demonstrated, as the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was .944 and revealed a high degree of internal consistency of the instrument. <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0771/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>


Author(s):  
Abhibunnisha Begum

This paper aims at emphasizing the use of literature as an effectual technique for teaching both basic language skills (i.e. reading, writing, listening and speaking) and language areas (i.e. and vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation). Reasons for using literary texts in foreign language that is English and the main criteria for selecting apposite literary texts in foreign language classes are hassled as the only language in which all subjects travel is English. Moreover the teaching of language skill’s benefits is obtained through altered genres of literature (i.e. poetry, short fiction, drama and novel). Literature in a language classroom provides adequate space for the learners to observe, validate and mirror themselves. The purpose of using literature in a language classroom is to formulate the class interactive and it can be assured that an interactive class can apparently develop communicative competence of the learners and remain an enduring impact on their mind. Such a class can develop the decisive thinking abilities of the learners and at the same time preserve a learner centre environment. The use of literature is to focus on the positive contributions of a literary text as it exposes the learner to different registers, types of language use. Literature plays an important role in the English programs of many non-English speaking countries. However, there are some problems encountered by language teachers within the area of teaching English through literature. First, there are very few pedagogically-designed suitable materials that can be used by language teachers in a language classroom. Second, there is a lack of groundwork in the area of literature teaching in TESL / TEFL programs. Third, there is the nonexistence of clear-cut objectives defining the role of literature in ESL /EFL. The teacher has a significant role in teaching English through literature. Literature is not only a device for developing the written and oral skills of the students in the intention language but also is a window opening into the culture of the target language, building up a cultural proficiency in students.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (193) ◽  
pp. 461-465
Author(s):  
Olena Hladka ◽  

The article deals with peculiarities offorming future foreign language teachers’ grammatical competence in realization of communicative approach. The notion "future teacher’s grammatical competence" and its constituents are specified. The constituents offoreign language teachers’ grammatical competence comprise grammatical knowledge, grammatical skills (receptive and reproductive) and grammatical awareness (students' ability to register and recognize grammatical phenomena in oral and written speech, features and patterns of their formation and functioning). The types of communicative exercises, characteristic for the formation of grammatical competence of future foreign language teachers in the process of realization of the communicative approach, are offered and substantiated. The grammatical competence of the future foreign language teacher as a component of professional competence can be defined as intuitive (determining the creative and spontaneous use of language) and intellectual (which can be manipulated consciously) knowledge and ability to use grammatical resources of the language which can be achieved due to the integrated approach to learning grammar material, which provides an organic combination of conscious and subconscious components in the learning process, which will ensure their success in further professional activities. While communicative approach realization communicative (linguistic) tasks are prioritized. After all, it is the latter that bring the development of grammatical skills and abilities closer to the conditions of real communication - motivated and purposeful. Each grammatical structure can be carefully processed and automated thanks to the creative approach of the teacher to the selection of tasks.


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