6. Knowing the language is not enough
Every classroom activity should have a specific linguistic purpose. All natural language use has a purpose – to give information, to express emotion, to advance an argument, etc.
The purpose of many language-teaching texts is to present language. This use never occurs outside the language in a text, which is studied for a purpose other than language in self. Nobody reads a recipe without wondering if they will enjoy the dish!
An approach which is based on the performance of tasks both more accurately reflects the nature of language, and is more likely to boots the students’ self confidence. Many students who “fail” or are de-motivated by an approach based on language for its own sake, increase in confidence, and are highly motivated by, an approach which is based on realistic tasks. The importance of the boots to students’ confidence cannot be over-estimated.
9. Language learning is critical
Nowadays nobody believes language learning is linear, the same language item needs be studied again and again throughout a course. There reason why this needs to be done:
a. Learners forget, so straightforward revision is necessary from time to time
b. Additional uses of a structure need to be studied
c. Most importantly of all, but the reason, which is most frequently overlooked, is that as learners advance they need to deepen their understanding.
Language learning does not consist of piling little brick of knowledge one on top of the other. The process is more complicated than that and involves revising, extending knowledge of the use of and extending understanding of things, which you have already met.
13. Distinguish clearly between accuracy and fluency practices
Language learning has two distinct objectives – learning to use the language as an effective means of communication, and, more formally, using the language accurately.
The mistake they corrected were almost always those which the students had positively made – mostly errors of pronunciation and structure.
Teacher worried a lot about when to correct – immediately a mistake was made, or as a follow-up after the end of a practice.
Teacher should make clear to their students that in a practice, which concentrates on accuracy all-important mistake, will be corrected
In fluency practices teacher must not correct every mistake, and indeed must positively encourage students to use all means at their disposal to get their message across.
15. You learn to speak by listening
Think of your firs language – you learned it, without any effort, with nobody asking you to repeat or formally correcting you. In the most obvious way possible, you mastered a very difficult skill – you learned to speak your own language simply by listening to it
We have already remark in the previous chapter that you can be fully involved without necessarily talking very much – it is very important to realize that if you students are listening well, and are involved in what they are listening to, you are benefiting them not only in developing their listening skills, but also their general language level.
