Texbooks and schools are often full of “studying a language.” But really, is teaching students to study English really what you want to do? Check out the video below!
What do you think? Answers in the comments please!
P.S. Here’s the same video in Japanese, to show your colleagues and to also show that I actually walk the walk and not just talk the talk!
(If you’re on email and can’t see the videos, click here to see them online!)
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9:56 pm on June 17th, 2010
True, but still to learn we need to study…
Then of course there are different ways of studying and strictly following the textbook probably isn’t the best!
BUT, as long as schools stress skills like perfect spelling and grammar, how can we not teach it?
8:34 am on June 18th, 2010
Hi Sussie, thanks for writing in!
I completely and totally 100% disagree!
The majority of people who learnt a 1st, 2nd, 3rd or even 4th language did it with absolutely no study at all. On the other hand the vast majority of people who study a foreign language (i.e. just about everyone who has ever been to school) never learn to speak it!
As Ken Robinson said the the other day, every country in the world is currently reforming their education system. It’s up to us to make the politicians know how it should be changed!
11:43 am on June 18th, 2010
Hi Richard,
I agree that we need to change our mindset. The whole purpose of learning a language is to USE it. We want to communicate and the new language is a key providing access to a whole world of experiences.
Unfortunately many students ’study’ a language only because it is a requirement or a stepping stone to getting somewhere else. They don’t have a great deal of intrinsic motivation to learn it, their teachers can’t even speak it well so they just focus on the grammar and convert English to Maths which they are good at ie S + V = blah blah blah. I have seen lessons which look like high level calculus but on closer examination realise they are actually supposed English learning activities!!
English textbook writers and English schools have been able to convert what should be an interactive experience to a solo experience. Everyone feels successful when they ace the multiple choice English exam which is weighted 3 times that of the speaking component. You can ’study’ English on your own which is easier because ‘learning’ English means third parties are involved and that makes things tricky.
It is an amazing marketing technique that will keep students studying forever. Unfortunately the world is becomming increasingly more selfish so the concept of ’studying’ English is more appealing. It is all about ‘me’. But where’s the fun? You can study something forever – I have a friend who studied earthworms for 4 years for his degree. I’m disappointed he didn’t spend a few more years and get the PhD as well. He could have ‘learnt’ about earthworms in a much shorter time.
Too often these days a language learning component is just a requirement to pass the course or it’s the flavour of the month. Would you believe I even saw a school advertising ESPERANTO classes in Cambodia – I mean who are going to meet up with at the supermarket for a cosy chat in ESPERANTO? – It was probably taught by a 120 yr old long bearded teaching guru. (By the way you can enrol for this course on my website….
Can you please do some Genki activities for me?)
I’ve discovered that an increasing number of English language students are able to blitz native English speaking teachers when it comes to hardcore grammar analysis but who cares if they can recite Swan’s Bible of English Usage. Does it matter if there is a rare exception to the rule in the use of the 3rd conditional?
I strongly believe that English language schools main purpose is to make money and it is to their advantage to keep students in the system. What is the benefit if students leave in 6 months with great communication skills? Course of often full of fluff and when students try to gauge each other’s progress they ask questions like “I’m halfway through Headway pre-intermediate. Which book are you up to?” The language learning experience has been converted to a ‘let’s complete the Headway of Cutting Edge series’ and we’ve achieved something.
I’m sure that if every school across the world suddenly introduced Esperanto as ‘the’ language to learn people would go mad over it, schools would open up on every street corner and there would perhaps be little thought as to WHY? Sadly, I strongly believe that only a very minute fraction of the apparent 100 million students ginvest their hard earned funds to study or learn English will walk away decent communication skills. I feel the world’s English language learning system could be likened to playing the pokies. Most will lose but it’s the few winners that keeps everyone playing.
Time to hit the books and do some serious Esperanto study!!!!
Cheers,
Steve
11:49 am on June 18th, 2010
disclaimer: I typed my previous response at hyper speed hence the number of missing words, spelling mistakes and no doubt grammar mistakes.
I love learning languages, teaching English and watching my students’ progress from speaking zero English to being able to communicate with confidence in a social setting in a few months.
That’s what it’s all about. Breaking down barriers and learning from each other.
Good on you Richard. Your Genki English materials are great – I have to admit that not all songs sound as polished as others but at the end of the day, who cares – no kids will pull us up. They just want to speak with their friends and the high level study will come later if that’s what they want.
Cheers
Steve
1:42 pm on June 18th, 2010
You are right, Richard. I am learning to speak English now. I’ve been learning it for some time and I guess I can communicate with people from other countries with little difficulty. But then, when i wanted to apply for a scholarship, I had to be tested on my grammar and things in TOEFL or TOEIC. So, i guess if someone wants to speak English, so he can just learn it. But when someone wants to do other than that so he must study and learn it at the same time : )
PS: I love your GenkiEnglish and I ve been using the activities there.
2:04 pm on June 18th, 2010
http://www.youtube.com/user/macmillanELT#p/a/u/1/tLYk4vKBdUo
In the words of the meister.
5:47 pm on June 18th, 2010
Hey Richard… nice one!
I believed you. You’re right! Though, these two words were one and the same, the end result is different. Learning is to achieve what you are studying but very true also that one can learn without studying.
1:18 am on June 19th, 2010
IN order to speak a language you first learn it, by hearing it and reading helps alot too (input).
At higher stages of learning, it is then possible to study the language for passing grammar tests. All children learn their native tongue and then study it. Why not first learn a good base and then if the need is there to study it?!
1:29 am on June 19th, 2010
Hi there everyone!
I think the blog entry is very interesting and I am with Richard on the learning a language thing, but I thought you were going to criticize textbooks more, which is always fun. What is it about textbooks that is so hindering or frustrating? Why are students and teachers so stuck with it? How can you convince that real use is more important than filling in the blanks? I think Steve makes a good point when he says that students are so focused on their progress in books nowadays. It’s like a never-ending story, but he also says that many just do it as a requirement, which is sooo true! But even so, if you use real English in the class, help them be real communicators, the class will be great and interesting. I am a real supporter of talking about what interests students, discussing topics, etc…with English just being the medium, not the focus of study.
I think GenkiEnglish is a real step towards that on the children’s level, combining themes in an exciting way, even though my hardest battle is still convincing parents that playing games and actually using the language is more important than having a “full textbook” at the end of the course.
6:03 am on June 19th, 2010
I totally agree with you, Richard!! And here we can refer to the difference between learning and acquisition. Our aim should be acquisition. Obviously, input is very important and who’s the first source of input? yes!!!! the teacher!! I also agree with Steve 100% and add that sometimes -and depending on the purpose- we do need to study a language. I remember actually memorising all those awful phrasal verbs for my final exams at the Teacher Training College. Here the purpose was to become “masters” of the langauge because we were to be teachers of English. Richard, I adore your Genki site and all the stuff in it!!! Keep it up!
Cheers,
Carolina
7:47 am on June 19th, 2010
WoW!
I was first of all surprised about so many comments from so many “new” people. That’s fun.
I was surprised because I wasn’t moved by this topic that much . I actually realized for the first time that we say “study a language”. (in English or Japanese)
In German you only use “study” if you go to university, otherwise you “learn” and especially languages you “learn”.
I “learned”many languages (ala German way), but I would say even “learn” isn’t really right, but we should just “speak” the language.
What needs to be “learned” or remembered ” are words, the rest is just speaking.
I studied Indonisian language and Japanese at University and it was a mess. (4 years) I couldn’t speak or understand. After a break I gave it a try, learned about 500 words and went to Indonesia for 2 month. I refused any English and as people are really open and talking a lot I was able to copy with everything after 1 week in the end I had made many friends and was pretty fluent.
With Japanese it was like this as well.
4:47 pm on June 19th, 2010
True. I would like to be as good teacher as you are. I totally agree with you. If you want the students to learn English you have to sing, to speak in English, to play, to do everything in English but in the same way you do. For instance if I teach grammar they are not going to speak in English, they are going to learn grammar.But if I sing your songs with my pupils ( When, when, when…, do you have any brothers or sisters…)and then I ask them to invent a new song with their favourite music, they sing it in the English class and we repeat it, OF COURSE they are learning English and they are going to comunicate in English.And it’s great the way you teach. I would like to have and to meet a techer like you in my city (PONFERRADA, SPAIN) because also I have been teaching for along time I need to learn how to be the perfec teacher.
But, I teach in a primary state school(The gobern pay me), and after primary, my students go to high school and the first exam they are going to do is a writing grammar text and vocabulary, so I want my sudents pass this exam and also I want that they think I’m a good teacher, because they are going to have good marks in their exam. But you are better teacher than me and now I understand why Japoness people speak English better than Spanish people, because they have teacher like you.
You are the best. Thank you for being there.
LINES from PONFERRADA
4:52 pm on June 19th, 2010
My students like a lot your songs and after playing and singing them, they invent their songs and we have fun in our English class.
12:24 am on June 28th, 2010
Hmm, I must say that I have tried different methods in the past few years and when I learned something from my students is that lessons with books always end up being boring or they still are not sure about how they can use the things they learned in the book in real life. 2 very nice examples. One child was studying English for over 1 year before I got him. So he knew quite some words, but he couldn’t use them AT ALL. Neither did he understand whole sentences really, nor could he make sentences on his own. I saw the method they used in school didn’t help him at all somehow so I just did it y own way with Genki and now he is even writing letters with one of the other Genki teachers, writing whole sentences and letters.
maybe other teacher have other experiences …
The second student, she “learned” English in school for many many years. She was able to make maybe 3 sentences. I find that is pretty interesting how you can go to school, study English for 7 years and then you can’t even make an own sentence. I prefer to learn according to the students needs and am forming my lessons like that. It is really rare that I use a textbook and if I do, I use the text in there for 5 minutes and the rest are things I made up in my head or any other projects dealing with the subject. I think it is essential to really practise the language as it is. Penpals are always a great way, the internet gives you plenty of resources and opportunities. I just learned that with that methods my students learned how to speak and write own messages more than they did before with the simple textbook classes. Unfortunately some schools make you having to use textbooks. There I really love the speech of I can’t remember who (was on TED and Elizabeth sent the link). The person there talked about a revolution that is needed when it comes to teaching. And I couldn’t agree more when I look at how my own students evolve (I’m lucky that I’m not stuck to any books, actually students prefer not having to go with books but to have lessons tailored to their needs – no atter if adults or kids). Well, just my own experience
11:41 am on June 28th, 2010
I like to give my students a notebook and get them to chronicle their learning from their first lesson. They right down new words and phrases they learn as they go about their daily lives. We learn what we ‘need to know’ and not the order suggested by Headway et al. It is interesting to see the words and phrases that come up – they are different for each student because their learning depends on their daily activities, their exposure to the language, what they need to accomplish etc Allocating time in class to assist with these words / phrases makes the learning experience more realistic and purposeful. And whatever they have learned can then be expanded on exponentially through additional phrases, synonyms, antonyms, slang vs format etc etc
The students’ experiences become the ‘textbook’ and this encourages a buzz of communication.
Cheers
Steve
11:42 am on June 28th, 2010
sorry I am sick with the flu and didnt proofread the previous message.
‘right’ = ‘write’
cheers