BEGS-185 English Language Teaching - Block 1: Knowing the Learner - Comprehensive Notes
BEGS-185 English Language Teaching - Block 1: Knowing the Learner
Block Introduction: Knowing the Learner
Focus: Understanding the learner as an individual with diverse learning styles, intelligence, aptitude, attitude, and motivation.
Unit 1: General description of learners' capabilities and learning resources (personal and social).
Units 2 & 3: Focus on disadvantaged learners and learners with minor disabilities, aligning with governmental policy of integration.
Unit 4: Learner autonomy, efficient learning strategies, self-evaluation skills, and objective setting.
Unit 1: The Language Learner
1.0 Objectives: Understanding differences among children, learning styles, curriculum engagement, and special aptitudes.
1.1 Introduction: Learner Factors Affecting Learning: Learning occurs through socialization and formal instruction.
Focus on child-related factors influencing school learning.
1.2 The Personal and Unique Quality of Learning: Learning is an individual process, even in a class setting.
Critique of the "jug and mug model" (teacher pouring knowledge into students).
Prior experiences shape how new information is integrated.
Diversity in the classroom necessitates curriculum adaptation.
1.3 The Student’s Readiness to Engage with a New Topic: Students find topics difficult due to a mismatch between assumed prior knowledge and actual student knowledge.
Syllabi build on previous knowledge, but students may have gaps.
Revision targeting key concepts is crucial for underprepared students.
Readiness is variable and topic-specific, not a fixed characteristic.
1.4 Interest and Motivation for Schoolwork: Students may lose interest due to feeling overwhelmed or unsupported.
Distinction between general loss of interest and negative attitude towards a specific subject.
Possible causes: Feeling that everything is too difficult, lack of help from teachers or friends, gaps in prior learning.
Importance of conveying awareness of students’ difficulties and offering encouragement.
Creating a supportive social climate in classrooms is valuable.
1.5 Learner Characteristics Influencing Learning: Factors within the child influence learning and are relatively stable.
Qualities related to learning capacity and problem-solving.
Preferences and habitual ways of doing things.
Feelings and social relationships.
Characteristics of school age children are not altogether fixed.
1.5.1 Characteristics Lying More in the Cognitive Domain
(a) General Scholastic Ability: Commonly referred to as 'brightness,' associated with understanding, memory, and test performance.
Related to intelligence and scholastic aptitude (reasoning, pattern recognition, problem-solving).
'Studies' exclude learning in non-academic areas (art, music, sports, etc.).
High scholastic ability doesn't guarantee advantage in activities beyond written tests.
Prior learning and readiness are important; lack of opportunity does not equate to low capacity.
(b) Language Learning Aptitude: The idea that some people have a knack for languages.
Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT) and Pimsleur Language Aptitude Battery (PLAB) assess sub-skills like phonetic coding and grammatical sensitivity.
These tests have limitations, including complexity and outdated approaches to language instruction.
All children learn their home languages successfully, suggesting aptitude differences are not a factor in early learning.
Education policy commits to helping children learn languages regardless of aptitude.
1.5.2 Learning Styles and Preferences
(c) Learning Styles: Individuals have different styles of learning, not linked to higher or lower capacity.
Styles influence learning, with a match between teaching and student style promoting comfort and effectiveness.
Sensory preference (visual, auditory, tactile, kinesthetic).
Teachers should plan specific ways of presenting information based on students’ styles.
(i) Sensory preference: (visual, auditory, tactile, kinesthetic)
Visual learning is enhanced by written statements, pictures, diagrams, and models.
Auditory learning thrives on spoken messages and teacher talk.
Tactile and kinesthetic learning is optimized through touching, feeling objects, and movement (role play).
Whole or part focused learning (global vs. sequential).
Some students focus on general ideas, while others focus on details.
Field dependence: influenced by context.
Field independence: analytical thinking.
(ii) Whole or part focused learning: Learners focus more on general ideas or small details. Some learn better when the teacher presents general ideas; others when specifics and details are discussed.
Field dependence: People that are influenced by the context and agree with others
Field independence: Those who are able to see basic facts or arguments by themselves; analytical thinkers.
Inductive vs. deductive learning.
(iii) Inductive vs. deductive learning: Inductive learners learn from specific facts or data, finding patterns to infer a general principle. Deductive learners receive a rule or principle and discuss its implications and applications.
Convergent thinking vs. divergent thinking.
(iv) Convergent thinking vs. divergent thinking:
Convergent thinkers analyze problems logically and systematically towards a solution.
Divergent thinkers look at problems from different angles, leading to creative solutions.
No 'good' or 'bad' styles; all are equally useful.
Teachers should vary teaching styles to match different student styles, including more types of presentations and activities.
(d) Personality dispositions –feelings, emotions and social interactions: Typical ways of behaving and relating to others.
* Personality dimensions (big five): Extraversion, Openness, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Neuroticism.
* These dispositions influence learning differently from cognitive factors.
* Teachers should accept children’s habitual styles without judgment.Self-esteem: Related to confidence, accepting challenges, and handling criticism.
Social conformity: Tendency to be influenced by the opinions of others.
Extraversion - Introversion: Person near the extraversion end is generally active, energetic, outgoing, talkative and friendly
Openness – Closed Mindedness: A person high on openness is likely to be curious, imaginative, original and has wide interests
Conscientiousness – Undirectedness: A person high on conscientiousness behaves in an organized, efficient manner and is thorough and reliable in getting things done
Agreeableness – Antagonism: An agreeable person is generally good natured, kind, trusting, generous, modest and appreciative
Neuroticism – Stability: A person high on neuroticism is often anxious and insecure, gets upset easily and shows signs of self-pity
1.5.3 Multiple Intelligences: Howard Gardner's theory (1983) proposes multiple intelligences: Logico-mathematical, linguistic, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, spatial, inter-personal, intra-personal, naturalistic, and existential.
Traditional view: intelligence relates only to logical thinking and problem solving.
Gardner: other aptitudes are also a form of intelligence
Scholastic aptitude is only one among many aptitudes.
Importance of recognizing and nurturing special potentials.
1.6 Flexibility in the Curriculum: Valuing Diversity and Promoting Autonomy: Adapting the curriculum to suit individual needs.
Children relate lesson inputs to their lives outside school, co-creating personalized knowledge.
Moving away from the traditional approach of uniform learning.
Every child has the right to quality education (RTE), mandating flexibility in the education system.
Emphasis on learner's active participation, initiative, and independence.
Cooperative activity fosters respect for diverse talents and needs.
Learner independence and autonomy are valuable assets, especially for second/foreign language learners.
Technology-linked learning modes require learner initiative.
Traditional classroom-based instruction has to be complemented as well as supplemented.
Unit 2: The Unreached Learner
2.0 Objectives
Understand underprivileged learners and their language learning problems.
Appreciate government interventions for quality education.
Reinforce curriculum, teaching methods, and socialization techniques.
Employ effective learning strategies and develop a positive attitude.
2.1 Introduction
Recognize student differences in culture, socioeconomic status, and learning abilities.
Education empowers critical thinking skills about society, government, and stereotypes.
Underprivileged learners face disadvantages due to poverty, health, and limited experiences.
English language learning is difficult due to limited exposure and communication ability.
2.2 The Underprivileged Learners
Underprivileged learners are economically, socially, or geographically backward.
They lack access to nutrition, healthcare, education, and skill development.
Terms: Deprived, psycho-socially deprived, culturally deprived, locationally deprived, disadvantaged.
2.2.2 What Makes Them Underprivileged?
(i) Poverty:
Deprivation of experiences and opportunities.
Limited parental interaction and language repertoire.
Missing experiences: conversations, letter knowledge, access to books.
Malnutrition impairs intelligence.
Differential treatment at school reduces exposure and growth.
(ii) Discrimination and Exploitation:
Historical biases and exploitation reduce opportunities.
Education systems target the middle class and privileged culture.
Textbooks lack representation of underprivileged culture.
Learning situations and peer behavior create poor self-image.
Negative attitude leads to drop in achievement and being pushed out of school.
(iii) Geographical or Locational Disadvantage:
Remote rural areas inaccessible to schools.
Urban slums cut off from advantages and opportunities.
Electronic media reduces alienation to some degree.
(iv) Culturally Disadvantaged:
Ethnic minorities, slum dwellers, tribes untouched by education.
Poor stimulus for learning; negligible exposure to regional language.
2.2.3 Characteristics of Underprivileged Learners:
The underprivileged are better in some ways than their peers given responsibilities of life early, like working for a livelihood or looking after their younger siblings, sharing chores with their parents, they develop certain skills and a sense of responsibility
(i) Low cognitive abilities: Lack intellectual stimulation at home and school; Foundation: Speaking, reading, writing
*(a) unable to learn in a symoblic way
*(b) unable to use or test a hypothesis to solve
*(c) unable to use CRITICAL THINK SKILLS(which need concepts, association, manipulation of ideas or principles which the learner is not able to do) - but the school curriculum expects the learner to use this critical thinking skills. The Basic teaching and class room experience is RO TE, MEMORIZATION and DRILLS to provide solution to critical and analytical thinkingbasic classroom experiences are based on rote, memorization and drills
Basic classroom experiences are based on rote, memorization and drills. If opportunities for critical and analytical thinking are not provided from the early classes the learner would not be able to handle the abstraction required in the curriculum of the later classes. The gap widens and the learner is unable to keep pace with the others in the classroom. This leads to frustration and low self- esteem(ii) Poor linguistic ability:
Lack experiences that generate ideas about what they can talk or write.
Poorly-developed verbal patterns.
Inadequate social interaction.
Standard language makes it difficult to comprehend spoken or written.
English appears very alien, gap is present between learner, teacher and texts.
Language deficit hampers the development of high-level cognitive analytical abilities with language acquisition mainly focused on just grammar
(iii) Low self-esteem:
Inability to cope with content and classroom language.
Textbooks written on middle class
Leads to a negative attitude about self, their culture, people and language
Segregation and rejection also increase to their low self-esteem.
(iv) Involvement Gap:
Low motivation.
Absence of academic support.
Distancing between what the student perceives as his or her relevant life experiences and what is taking place inside the school.
Learning aimed at the middle class only.
Teachers show that they do not accept them as main members
(v) Poor ability to read or write:
Lack of requisite experiences like language interaction, exposure to toys or print material, listening to songs and stories.
Deficient verbal patterns even in own language.
Difficulty in reading and writing. communication skills, negligible print or phonemic awareness, they have difficulty in reading and writing
(vi) Their strengths:
Responsibilities and emotional maturity the underprivileged learners are better than their peers in the classroom in many ways. Having shared the responsibilities of life, like working for a livelihood or looking after their younger siblings, sharing chores with their parents, they develop certain skills and a sense of responsibility.
Many underprivileged learners who have had to fend for themselves also display a great sense of independence and some amount of decision- making skill as well. The system of education needs to exploit these strengths of the learners to enable them to learn.
2.3 Underprivileged Learners and the System of Education
Government estimates: 59 million Indian children (6-14) do not attend school.
2.3.1 A Brief History of the Education of the Underprivileged:
Three stages: Isolation, Assimilation, Integration.
(i) Isolation: The teachers do not accept the lower caste children. Children are made to sit separately. Lowering of bar for them (the assignments for the underprivileged result in failure).
The general belief that assignments for the underprivileged would result in failure made many educationists lowered the bar for them. This created an isolation of another sort and the education gap continued to widen(ii) Assimilation: attempts were made to educate the underprivileged learners along with the privileged learners in the same school.
Tries to assimilate the underprivileged into the privileged culture.The aim was to assimilate the underprivileged into the privileged culture. This attempt is still on and according to the Right to Education, it is mandatory for elite private schools meant for the privileged sections of society to keep 25% of the seats for the underprivileged and also to look after their education monetarily. How much of this genuinely happens is a matter of concern.(iii) Integration: first made to educate the underprivileged in their own language and culture so that they would develop a positive attitude to their own culture and language.
in their own language and culture so that they would develop a positive attitude to their own culture and language. Depending on these approaches or stages, mainly three theories have been put forth to explain the poor achievement of the unreached learner: these varied from innate or hereditary qualities, to cultural deprivation in their environment or to the deficiency in the institution (school) itself
2.3.2 Some Interventions:
the curricular content, both in its selection and nature, mirrors the life of the privileged; The textbooks appeared alien to the underprivileged learners as they did not find any resemblance to their lives or their culture in the textbooks
Teachers are to be sensible to the needs of learners
* Government policies: UEE, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, RTE act, neighbourhood schools
Policies are attempts to integrate & assimilate underprivileged learners Mainstream
* curriculum
* teachings
A conscious attempt needs to be made to make the curriculum not only attractive but also challenging for the underprivileged learners
Some of the suggested interventions are listed below:
*Inclusion of topics of interest or familiarity for the underprivileged learners
*Reflection of the lives and culture of the underprivileged as equal contributors to society
*Removal of biases in favor of the privileged
*Illustration could include tribal art and styles that represent their culture and lifestyles
Stimulating but linguistically simple questions to help them develop their cognitive and analytical skills.
* evaluation procedures Government policy=non detention policy. Evaluation activity content, life skills
To minimise issues: Teachers to have prepare in teaching and removal of biases
*Ed through language through learners. : early stage in learners home language. Even multi lingual methods should incorporate L1, not focus on L 2
*Teacher preparation is essential
* By opening of the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, the Government of India has made quality education accessible to rural learners.: Using a variety of methods to convey a single idea, Addressing the needs of the target group and overcoming biases,Making the topic interesting and relevant,Developing the skills of reading and writing amongst learners with experiential deficiency,Removing bias in the material, if any,Treating all learners alike and encouraging the underprivileged children to perform to the best of their capabilities
2.4 Teaching English to the Underprivileged Learners
*Need - English help access elite education/career, tech is usually in this language
2.4.2 Problems Faced by Underprivileged Learners in Learning English:
(i) Fear of English as a subject of study:
Different from Indian language; no one letter-one sound correspondence.
Syntax different from Indian language
*English is associated with the elite culture so creating more fear and problems amongst the underprivileged learners.
*Textbooks in English for the underprivileged learner have no representation of their lives creating more alienation.
(ii) Language load and poor reading skills:
Speak a non-standard variety of language or dialect.
language load: need to learn standard lang and second lang (english)
*In addition, because of their inadequate exposure to languages and texts in their childhood these learners develop poor literacy skills. As a result, they are unable to use the knowledge resources which are part of emergent literacy. In brief, they are unable to read a lot of material which is available in English and much of this material may be essential for day-to-day survival
poor literacy skills- no exposure to emergent resources
(iii) A feeling of alienation created by the learning materials: The teacher/textbook written for middles class students who may feel adequate with the material vs what th eprivlidlaged actually experience at their standard and learning of english. Creates the learner to feel inadequate and isolated
Textbook written and chosen with average learners in mind (middle class).
Underprivileged learners feel inadequate.
(iv) Low expectations from the teacher:
lack of stimulus leads to simplification by teacher who has to spend a lot of time
Teacher can be aware of strengths/weakness, set goals with high expectations
2.4.3 How to Help the Underprivileged Learners:
(i) Mentoring the learners:
two strategies: one mentors with collaborative and provide social and emotional support AND one teacher with mini conferences improve lanauge or bridge the gap. Should allow children make decisions
Allow them to feel a spirit of challenge while being aware of their strengths and weakness. Encouragement and setting the goal high while providing both academic, social and emotional support through one to one mentoring, cooperative work and display of trust in their capabilities is a good strategy to adopt(ii) Introduction to critical thinking skills:
Make children analytical by critical thinking and decision making
It is essential that teachers introduce the underprivileged learners to critical thinking skills from an early stage. This will help them to become analytical and be able to make decisions(iii) Selection of relevant topics: make sure student have interest and be able to complete tasks that are not over or under whelming
Topics for classroom discussion and writing tasks would have to be sensitively selected to ensure that these fall within the experiences of the underprivileged learner’s that one is teaching(iv) Adequate Scaffolding and support:
lest we forget task with peer support: Task that these learners find relevant, explaining the task, breaking it up into doable smaller tasks, encouraging them to do the task and last but not the least providing the support of peers by way of collaborative work, cannot be underminedl(v) Use Mother-tongue based Multilingualism:
ed should at the same support other lang and use biglingo methods where teachers repeats INSTRUCTIONS in home lang
A teachers will support their english but use what language may best get the student to understand directions. Avoid complete sentences so student feels intimidated. Make sure to make the activity completion based- not lang based
Unit 3: The Learner with Special Needs
### OBJECTIVES
*Identify major causes of language-based learning problems
*list the kinds of intervention required of the teacher;
*adopt or adapt strategies to help the special learners; and
*suggest follow-up action to meet the educational needs of the special learners.
### INTRODUCTION
Apart from the physically handicapped or partially hearing impaired - there is a small group of learning-disabled children in every class. Often they are euphemistically termed as ‘slow learners. The teacher is often frustrated by the lack of progress of this group despite frequent attention
### THE LEARNER WITH LANGUAGE PROBLEMS
what does a teacher need to decide before planning remediation?
*the teacher needs to develop a profile of the learner noting strengths and weaknesses, factors in the child’s/learner’s environment, relevant aspects in a child’s/learner’s history and then decide on the interventions
### SPEECH AND LANGUAGE DIFFICULTIES
if is the teacher is aware of milestones then she identify and remediate at an early Stage
levels of linguistic analysis:
**sounds (phonetics and phonology),
grammar( morphology and syntax) and
meaning( semantics)
*A child may have difficulty in reception due to deafness or partial hearing*
A great variety of language and speech difficulties occur among primary school children
The teacher for the common problems can be classified in a simpler manner:
*Reception : Deaf or partial hearing unable to discriminate between the sounds
Developmental language: disorders unable to decode or encode for communication purposes
*Speech problems:
The Classification of Speech and Language Problem
lack of fluency
deficit of voice
articulation by physical factor
Difficulties in Auditory Discrimination
is reflected in poor reading ability. Beyond the age of 7 or 8 they make it hard to discriminate speech sounds
Remedial teacher measures the child can use to undertake
Same or different : child has to say whether the words in a pair are the same
Listening games:: child listens to a sequence of sounds and repeats and to notice the common sounds
Phonic activity games: saying words binging or ending with the same sounds
Rhyming Game: produce rhyming words
Allteration the sentences include alliteration
Developmental Language Disorder
critical action here is train children to explain theory throught language The children compare the system structure with normal speech structure one can surmise whether the childs system is simle or delayed and
whether he or she engages in conservation or not
SPEECH PROBLEMS.
problems with voice ( asthma or the high nose or hoarseness)
articulation(speaking in a babyish way)
-stammering or stuttering.
**Helping children that that have Difficulties with voice
**The teacher Rewards whenever the child uses a desirable volume of voice or uses proper intonation.
**Helping children Overcome Stuttering and Stammering **
if it is anxiety a traumatic incident then the he/she must must look at the self-esteem needs to be boosted
**Speech therapy requires professional training.It is important to recognize the problem and organize suitable intervention.
WHAT YOU CAN YOU AS A EACHER CAN DO
*correctly positioning the tongue
*demonstrating the problem
*practicing the problem sound for the prolonged periods
USE STORIES AND RHYMS WHICH CONTAIN THE PROBLEM SOUNDS
USE TONGUE TWISTERS AT LATER STATE
*READING DIFFICULTIES*One of the major problems facing educators is that some children of normal intellligence but what is regular attendance.
It is also called dyslexia among children of normal intelligence is called Dyslexia
Remedial measure- the teacher needs to: Analyses words into parts, Use cut outs of words plastic letters, Use color as cue, Use movement to trace of shape, Distinguing let the indicator child be able to indicate and from where to begin
*Auditory-verbal and Language Difficulties*
is to read our books or magazine or any other text for the to them
**Auditory and phonetic skills as well as well as well developed vocabulary are all important for reading.
The main skill the learner in reading has to acquire and also acquire automatic knowledge that certain letters or lettering in certain sounds
The most help for plastic plastic letters can used to that may help you notice how you help change you into the new word
is to is important that is to come by that combination of what is four sentence auditory and visual tactile in the aspect that is to remedial teaching and that this is should help promote the picture of to the teacher says
WHAT DIFFICULTIESASSOCIATED WHIGHER ORDER READING SKILL and that the teacher needs to read needs to be
use use thematic vocabulary
use use story and folk tale moderns and images all with writing. There many have Gapp where is more that an option is available
*DIFFICULTIES WITH WRITING*
is a complex activity, writing involves: selection of ideas, expressing the idea in, mechanics if writing fine( handwriting) writing and typing and then using and the expression using the sentences
There are can be found is from children that read a high or code 117 writing but they may may very very
highly
Concrete description
makes make children the way simple sentences using the help or copyn
Concrete Imaginative
activity here is the that you should be looking in their the and then show and the the what and that it should or
Abstract script descriptive
is a visual that to help tell us the story line and you should and the and the ible to tell us the story to you
THE TEACHER COULD : First encourage sentence though
Use clear sentences
USE WHAT MAKE child GOOD to write well
USETOPICS THAT INTEREST SO A RE ENCOURAGED talk
DIFFICULTIES WITH HAND WRITING The ac that writing must be a more conscious effort for many to more motor skills or more can also translate motor activity to see this
THE TRADITIONAL The TRADITIONAL
or that the children must also more to come by is all what is written as to or the use of letters for 3-d all may come by the writing patters what the automatic what you know by this with what is or known by you or to may get come by
### Unit 4: Helping the Learner to be Autonomous
Introduction
To be autonomous, the learner has to know what to learn and how to learn it too.
Autonomous Learning: The Teacher’s Role
an autonomous learner demonstrates:(i)a willingness to learn, (ii) a realization that learning is their own responsibility, (iii)an ability to make choices, and (iv)the courage to take risk.
Neither Deepthi nor Nalini might be able to consciously analyze what they have done. But, they constructed effective discourse. This shows their awareness of the parameters for not just the presentation but communication itself. They need guidance to become conscious of what makes their response appealing. It will help them transfer the knowledge to other areas of communication. Only an autonomous learner-teacher can give this kind of support.
Procedures for Supporting Autonomous Learning
A collaborative classroom supports learners both emotionally and academically. The teacher’s guidance lowers their anxiety levels and builds their confidence to think towards the communicative goals.
It is also possible for the teacher to ask the class to look for descriptions of characters in the books they read. This may be followed by the teacher analyzing a few descriptions together with the students. Eliciting responses of questions such as:
*What does the writer say about the character?
*What do you think about the character?
*What does the character think about himself or herself?
*What do other characters think about him/
Materials To Encourage Autonomous Learning
Classroom procedures illustrate how we may shift our focus from ‘what’ to ‘how’.
Example text:
Miss Devi likes to experiment with different kinds of materials. One day she read a story to the class and asked them to write it in groups of three. She gave two sample beginnings and told them to share their first sentence with the class:
It would never have happened if he hadn’t been to his friend’s birthday party
Do you ever wonder what happened to the passenger you met on a train journey last year? In ten minutes, students began to respond and the teacher got six different beginnings on the blackboard.
Such classroom procedures illustrate how we may shift our focus from ‘what’ to ‘how’.
Evaluation Procedures for Autonomous Learning
guide them to learn independently. Instead of treating them as testing tools, we may use them to support learning, but what not in well prepared in what do learn, that needs to what to to well learn
Authentic Materials and Autonomous Learning
Authentic material has a teacher focus on discourse and discrete elements.
Authentic material creates innumerable opportunities for showing the learner the right direction. The more we relate such material to their background knowledge, the richer the student’s autonomous learning, beyond the classroom. But, the classroom has to be the lab where they experiment with their learning in a productive form with the teacher – and – peer support.
It helped with them to in writing the story to a short poem if you would prefer in magazines with a friend whatever you make it in with when and where the you should come
A news segment
Lata Khare the next day Baramati marathon was about or commenced then Lata in Lata was with 60 of with what she was then and with a real true heart of gold I would say for she was more than a true marathon gold winner you
Let Us Sum Up
In other words, the teacher has three responsibilities:
*become a conscious learner,
*break down learning the ‘how’ into teachable steps, and
*create activities to nurture responsible learning.
An autonomous learner-teacher appreciates them, and adopts independent learning practices.