Language, Literature And Culture In Education 2019

ISBN 978-80-89864-15-7Understanding the concept of effective Englishas a foreign language teachingRastislav MetrukUniversity of Žilina, Slovakiarastislav.metruk@fhv.uniza.skAbstract: The matter of effective EFL teaching has been examined by numerousresearchers in the past decades as it is one of the key factors which directly influencesthe process of teaching and learning English. This paper discusses and analyses therecent studies which aimed at examining effective language instruction. Although theresults of some studies support the notion that the traditional language teaching oughtto be prioritized as regards effective language instruction, the article concludes that itis the learner-centred approach that seems to yield more promising results, which issupported by most of the studies. In the foreground are features such as employingpair-work and group-work activities, taking learners’ needs and feelings intoconsideration, generating their interest in learning a target language, creatingenvironments in which learning L2 takes place, or allowing them to take responsibilityfor their own learning. It is vital that researchers and instructors pursue furtherresearch in this area as acquiring more data by undertaking research in terms ofeffective teaching may cast more light on this complex matter and help improve theprocess of teaching and learning languages.Keywords: EFL teaching and learning, effective EFL teaching, teacher and learnerIntroductionAlthough the Communicative Language Teaching suggests that it is the learnercantered approach which is at the centre of attention, educators play an importantpart in the process of teaching and learning foreign languages. Examining the qualitiesof an effective language teacher is of considerable importance as, according to AlMahrooqi, Denman, Al-Siyabi and Al-Maamari (2015), possessing knowledge of these7characteristics aids in improving the pedagogical practices of EFL (English as a foreignlanguage) teachers by allowing them to improve their good and most-valuedcharacteristics. Moreover, they can find solutions to overcome the qualities which areof lower value or regarded as inappropriate. Therefore, examining and understandingthe construct of effective language teaching can be a potentially fruitful area withinEFL teaching and learning. Brosh (1996) maintains that the more we know about thequalities of EFL teachers, the more we are likely to develop language teacher9

ISBN 978-80-89864-15-7preparation models which include the aspects of relevant language instruction. Thus,this area of foreign language research merits constant exploration by researchers andeducators due to the fact that such research findings may be beneficial to bothteachers and learners.Effective EFL teacherThe construct of effective EFL teachers has been approached from various anglesby a number of researchers and educators. Vadillio (1999), for instance, explains thateffective language teachers are those who do not only have a high level of competencein L2 (second language), but also personal features such as sensitivity, warmth, andtolerance. In the study conducted by Brosh (1996), both Israeli students and teachersidentified various characteristics associated with English language teaching such asteachers’ command of L2, their abilities to organize, explain, and clarify, and theirabilities to generate and pursue interest as well as motivation. Zhang & Watkins (2007)adds to the discussion by claiming that for some, qualities of effective teachers arerepresented by the command subject area, proper teaching methods, and variousskills that are related to teaching. On the other hand, others point out personalityfeatures which are at the centre of attention, such as teachers’ charisma, compassion,honesty, humour, and innovation.According to Sotto (2011), good teachers are the ones who encourage theirlearners to become more confident and thoughtful, which can be possibly achieved bylearners’ engagement in frequent experiences that help develop the two qualities. Bell(2005) builds up on these features by maintaining that effective teachers usuallyemploy communicative approaches, allow their learners to work in small groups fordiscussions, and pursue effective strategies within their instruction.The study performed by Barnes and Lock (2010), which also attempted to explorethe characteristics of effective EFL instruction, reveals that foreign language learnersidentified the following attributes of effective EFL practitioners. Firstly, the “studentsfeel that lecturer to student rapport is essential to build atmospheres of respect andunderstanding in EFL classes” (p. 148). Such respect can be created by using students’names, making overt effort to help learners, listening to them, and by checkingstudents’ comprehension. Secondly, teachers’ degree of enthusiasm and preparationare of considerable importance to the learners as they influence the classroomatmosphere and motivation (motivation being also affected by instructors’ variationof instructional modes and methods and making sure that the learners understand theclasses). “Third, diverse views about the type and level of error correction will be asource of conflict unless lecturers make the effort to align student expectations withtheir own, and be sensitive to student self esteem” (p. 148). It should be noted thatsensitivity to the self-esteem of students is always necessary when correcting errors.Finally, EFL teachers ought to know that their learners appreciate instructors’ efforts10

ISBN 978-80-89864-15-7to adapt a participatory approach, where all the students are involved in the teachingand learning process.The research carried out by Wichadee and Orawiwatnakul (2012) aimed atcomparing the characteristics of effective EFL teachers on the basis of four categories:English proficiency, pedagogical knowledge, organization and communication skills,and socio-affective skills. The results indicate that the research participants rated theconcept of an effective language teachers in the following order of importance:organization and communication skills, socio-affective skills, pedagogical knowledge,and English proficiency.Brown’s study (2009) revealed that the students seemed to have favoured thegrammar-based approach to a greater degree when compared to their teachers, whopreferred more communicative classroom environments. This was evidenced bysubstantial differences in areas such as target language use, correcting errors, andgroup work. On the other hand, the study by Alimorad and Tajgozari (2016) yieldeddifferent results – while the teachers tended to favour the traditional approach more,their learners had a greater tendency to prefer communicative approach.Kourieos and Evripidou (2013) attempted to identify the characteristics andbehaviours that are attributed to effective university EFL teachers as perceived byCypriot students. The research findings show that effective language teaching appearsto be associated with a more learner-cantered approach to EFL teaching and learning,which assumes a more assisting and mediating role language teachers ought tooccupy. Effective language instructor does not have a directive and authoritarian rolewithin the learning process, but rather takes into account their learners’ individualdifferences, anxiety, abilities, and interests. Moreover, such a teacher designs andarranges learning environments accordingly.The study by Çakmak and Gündüz (2018), which explored the qualities of effectivelanguage teachers from pre-service EFL teachers’ perspective, suggests that effectiveteacher is someone who is objective, competent, and consistent. The qualitative dataemphasized the importance of positive learning environment, student motivation,learner-centred learning, and integrating technology into teaching. Further, the dataindicate that being authoritative is considered to be the least expected feature ofeffective teacher.DiscussionThe literature review suggests that the qualities of an effective language teachermay differ from one study to another. While it is the high level of L2 competence whichis often in the foreground, it is sometimes assigned lower priority than other featuresas confirmed by Wichadee and Orawiwatnakul (2012), according to whom thecategory of English proficiency was assigned lower priority than the categories oforganization and communication skills, socio-affective skills, and pedagogical11

ISBN 978-80-89864-15-7knowledge. Other characteristics such as abilities to organize and explain, generateinterest, or pursue motivation as well as teachers’ personality features (e.g. charisma,humour, or compassion) also occupy an important role in the process of teaching andlearning English and are often highly valued by students.It is, therefore, no surprise that many of the mentioned characteristics are relatedto the concept of the CLT (Communicative Language Teaching). Following thefundamental principles of the CLT, the teachers perform the role of a facilitator, whichmeans that they make their learners more active within their learning process, taketheir individual needs and personalities into account, and allow them to takeresponsibility for their learning. Further, they encourage their confidence andthoughtfulness, are sensitive to correcting errors, and employ group work and pairwork activities, in which their students can practice L2 in relatively safe environments,with a high degree of engagement and equal treatment. This concept is in line withstudies conducted by Barnes and Lock (2010), Sotto (2011), and Bell (2005). The shiftfrom teacher-centeredness to the learner-centred teaching as well as the shift fromauthoritative type of teacher to the teacher who act as a facilitator is often regardedas one of the key qualities of effective language instruction as confirmed by Çakmakand Gündüz (2018).However, some teachers and learners still seem to favour traditional teachingapproaches to a greater extent in comparison to the CLT, such as the teacherparticipant group in Alimorad and Tajgozari (2016) or the student participants in thestudy carried out by Brown (2009). This supports the notion that the traditionalteaching methods such as grammar-translation method may still be prevalent in anumber of countries around the world (Metruk, 2018). These approaches often differconsiderably from the fundamental principles of CLT – for example, teacher-centredapproach prevails, no pair-work or group-work activities, learners are rather passiverecipients of what teacher says, students’ needs and feelings are not considered, etc.Therefore, the efficacy of the grammar-translation method (and other similar ways ofteaching languages) is disputable. The findings of studies performed by Kourieos andEvripidou (2013) and Çakmak and Gündüz (2018) support this notion as their researchresults suggest that it is the learner-centred teaching (teachers take learnersdifferences, anxiety, abilities, and interests into consideration, they arouse students’interest in learning – motivate them, and create positive learning environments, etc.),which forms the basis of effective language instruction. Such approaches couldpossibly enhance the process of teaching and learning English.ConclusionLearning a language can be regarded as a complex and challenging process in whichone has to master language systems and skills. Instructors are a vital part of this12

ISBN 978-80-89864-15-7process despite the fact that it is the learner-centred approach which ought to beemployed in the EFL classroom.Numerous studies have attempted to examine the qualities of foreign languageinstruction, with varying results. It can be, however, concluded that apart from the L2competence, there exist other key characteristics, which aid effective languageteaching, such as employing pair-work and group-work activities, taking their feelingsand personalities into account, tolerating their errors within learning, motivatingthem, communicating with them with respect, making them active, allowing them totake responsibility for their own learning, and the like.It should be emphasized that further research and other studies need to beperformed in this area as constant exploration in this field may bring aboutinformation and knowledge which may aid in developing and enhancing effectivelanguage teaching practices.ReferencesAl-Mahrooqi, R., Denman, C., Al-Siyabi, J., & Al-Maamari, F. (2015). Characteristics ofa good EFL teacher: Omani EFL teacher and student perspectives. SAGE rad, Z., & Tajgozari, M. (2016). A Comparison of Iranian High School Teachers’and Students’ Perceptions of Effective English Teachers. SAGE Open, 6(4), s, B., & Lock, E. (2010). The attributes of effective lecturers of English as a foreignlanguage as perceived by students in a Korean university. Australian Journal ofTeacher Education, 35(1), 139-152. http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2010v35n1.2Bell, T. (2005). Behaviors and attitudes of effective foreign language teachers: Resultsof a questionnaire study. Foreign Language Annals, 38(2), b02490.xBrosh, H. (1996). Perceived characteristics of the effective language teacher. ForeignLanguageAnnals,29, 02322.xBrown, A. (2009). Students’ and teachers’ perceptions of effective foreign languageteaching: A comparison of ideals. The Modern Language Journal, 93(1), 27.xÇakmak, M., & Gündüz, M. (2018). Pre-service ELT Teachers’ Perceptions ofCharacteristics of Effective Teachers. Gazi University Journal of Gazi ad/1402/a287/b2f5/5adf2d045633f.pdf?13

ISBN 978-80-89864-15-7Kourieos, S., & Evripidou, D. (2013). Students’ Perceptions of Effective EFL Teachers inUniversity Settings in Cyprus. English Language Teaching, 6(11), 1-16.http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/elt.v6n11p1Metruk, R. (2018). Researching Speaking: Teaching and Assessment. Olomouc, CzechRepublic: Palacký University Olomouc.Sotto, E. (2011). When teaching becomes learning: A theory and practice of teaching(2nd ed.). London, England: Continuum Education.Vadillio, R. (1999). Research on the good language teacher. EPOS, 15, 347-361.Zhang, O., Watkins, D. (2007). Conceptions of a good tertiary EFL teacher in China.TESOLQuarterly,41, 00103.xWichadee, S., & Orawiwatnakul, W. (2012). Characteristics of effective languageteachers as perceived by low and high proficiency students. European Journal ofSocial Sciences, 31(3), 425-438.ContactPaedDr. Rastislav Metruk, Ph.D.Katedra anglického jazyka a literatúryFakulta humanitných viedŽilinská univerzita v ŽilineUniverzitná 8215/1010 26 Žilinarastislav.metruk@fhv.uniza.sk14

ISBN 978-80-89864-15-7Teaching receptive skills and the elements of culturethrough online sourcesto primary school learners of EnglishKarolina DitrychUniwersytet Technologiczno – Humanistyczny in Radom, Polandk.ditrych@uthrad.plAbstract:The article begins with a brief description of the characteristic features ofprimary school learners, who are divided into a group of lower primary learners (1 st3rd grade) and a group of upper primary learners (4th-6th grade), and theirdevelopmental needs, which must be taken into consideration before preparing anylanguage course. The author emphasises the importance of developing receptiveabilities in these two age groups, which come a long time before the development ofproductive skills. Then, the invaluable role of culture in child’s development isdescribed in relation to the learning environment. In the final part the authorconcentrates on introducing different ways of developing receptive skills and theelements of culture based on existing online sources. Some educational readingplatforms and public libraries accessible on the Internet are introduced to supportteachers’ knowledge in this field. The author’s role is to present unpopular, incontemporary times, ‘reading’ as a pleasurable experience both for the students andthe teachers.Key words: lower primary learners, upper primary learners, receptive skills,storytelling, online platformsIntroductionThis article describes characteristic features and developmental needs of lower andupper primary learners which determine teachers’ work and influence the wholeeducational process of second language acquisition. Only the most significant aspectsare taken into consideration and they are later described in the article. In connectionwith information included in the first chapter the author develops the idea of teachinga foreign language to primary school learners and concentrates on emphasising thepriority role of receptive skills in this process. Exposure to listening is introduced as themost natural way of teaching languages as well as a remarkably effective one due tochildren’s high sensitivity to rhythm and sounds from the closest surrounding. Someattention is devoted to teaching techniques such as using songs, chants, and stories tosupport the development of listening comprehension. More insight to Storytellingappears when reading skills are described. The author makes an attempt to highlight15

ISBN 978-80-89864-15-7positive aspects of Storytelling which have a beneficial impact on the reinforcement ofreceptive skills, pronunciation, language accuracy and a life-lasting love for literature.The next part of the article concentrates on introducing some advantages of makingthe students familiar with the elements of different cultures. The final part is devotedto the presentation of the online platforms which promote listening, reading or writingin an attractive way. They encourage students to develop receptive and productiveskills through the means of video recordings, interactive exercises, interestingworksheets and supplementary materials created to enhance particular languageparts. They activate students senses in the cognitive process and simulate differentmodalities. They offer professional help for parents and tips for teachers to be moreeffective in teaching new skills to children.1 Primary school learnersIn 2017, after the reformation of the Polish educational system, middle schoolswhich took care of students aged 13-15 years old were lapsed and primary schoolsbecame 1st to 8th grade schools, where both very young children started theireducation and teenage students continued gaining their knowledge. Due to thesechanges primary schools which could be generally divided into two age categories, thatis: lower primary learners - students who attend 1st to 3rd grade and upper primarylearners who attend 4th to 6th grade, potted two more levels – 7th and 8th grade. Thisarticle focuses on the group of lower primary learners and when considering the groupof upper primary learners the author would like to concentrate on the students up tothe 6th grade. According to the authors knowled

learners of English: Cambridge Idioms Dictionary. and . Oxford Idioms Dictionary . in focus _ by Anna Stachurska studies English idioms and focuses on the question of how usage of English idioms is marked within two most representative idioms dictionaries, namely . Oxford Idioms Dictionary