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ENGLISH FOR TEACHING AND COMMUNICATION IN MULTI-VERNACULAR CONTEXT OF INDIA: CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS
DEVARAJ A M
Department of English
Sree Siddaganga college of arts science and commerce
B H Road, Tumkur
ABSTRACT
English is the widely spoken language in the globe but its worth in India looks as very degrading. But it is really worthy one. Teaching and learning English is complex in Indian context.
The paper aims at some of the key objectives by creating awareness on the current issues, challenges that language teachers and learners have to face and resolving ideas for them. Several obstacles such as big number of students in a classroom, lack of motivation and confidence, inappropriate and impractical curriculum and above all incompetent tutor or teacher for teaching or train in communication skills make the overall process a futile thing. The need to reform teaching methodology in literature taken considered. Challengesbefore the teachers and solutions for them are also taken up.
KEY WORDS: Quality education, Communication enrichment, Teacher role in enriching communication.
INTRODUCTION
India is one of the foremost, prominent NATION in the globe. It bridged with other nations that could possible only through corresponding in English. That is how English language is global language and it is the only language accepted for corresponding.
Teaching English and English Communication have become real challenges from beginning of the history of English introduced in to our country. Both are always been challenge for teachers and the taught. Though language is the backbone of civilizations and cultures across the world, but still in our country we lamenting on the deterioration condition of English in schools and colleges.
Widely spoken, throughout the world English took over Indian languages with the coming of the colonial rule. Gradually it became part of the curriculum in academic institutes and language of communication of elites.
English as a medium of instruction, and the passport for worldly business, its economical perspective made a need to learn it effectively. One must seek growth and prosperity should have the power of English, Or else he would lag behind the advancement. Growing world expect good English and collaborative skills in each individual. English is the complete meal for Career Growth. It is the spinal cord for everyone to stand on their own knees.
English as a language is insufficiently developed in most of the students of schools and colleges especially government one. The irony is even after spending 12-16 crucial years of their life learning English from 1 to +6, most of the students remain tongue–tied and same heritage of functionally illiterate learners in English is passed on to the colleges and most affected ones are the students of BA stream. Moreover, the higher authorities always expect good results and teachers are caught in the mire as whether to complete syllabus or improve the English language of the learners.
It is astonishing to note that the English language has won ‘global status’ or ‘International Language’, and all evidence suggests that the position of English as a global language Is going to become stronger but we have to swallow this bitter pill that teaching spoken English to the Indian students has remained a major challenge to the language teachers for ages.
Moreover, the importance of teaching English in order to fulfill the ever growing demands of English language is also stressed. Current challenges before English teachers in present day ELT would also be taken up. They ways in which students can put their learning into practice in day-to-day use to fulfill their practical demands through effective communication skills, apart from that gaining command over English language would be also highlighted.
This paper deals with the current or contemporary status of English language teaching at college level. In the earlier days, English is just like a library language but now that notion has been challenged today. At present the challenges before the English language teachers in India are diverse and it is necessary for them to shape up accordingly to meet the demands of the day.
Objectives:
- The objective of teaching English in Indian context is to improve the basic skills of language(listening, speaking, reading and writing). It should not be ‘producing bookwarms’ or ’language robots’.
- The next one is to focus on the graduation stream especially arts streams(Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Commerce)of mixed ability. Since most of the students focus on English not as a subject to ’learn and conceive’ but as to passed one; so the future will be drag towards deep abyss.
- The foremost objective of teaching English should be to make the students learn language(in play way methods) in order to produce efficient communicators.
- The hesitation barrier or the phobia in the minds of learner about English language especially in Arts stream students should overcome so that real learning takes place.
- The current curriculum of English language of graduation stream do not meet the demands and requirements of the learners as whole teaching learning process is examination centered and degree driven.
Causes for lag in learning English
- Incompetent teachers: the foremost trouble we could find is incompetent teachers. They are either trained in old methodology or they never been upgraded in advanced technics. Even the materials and methodology used in training programs are outdated. There is hardly any scope to improve intuitive and spontaneous knowledge of the language. A good teacher needs to renew themselves to remain alive and innovative.
- Over rely on teacher: there is dig has created in teaching learning process that students overly rely on the teachers. It becomes habit of spoon-feeding. Students are becoming deadlock instead of trying themselves. Teacher must focus on giving positive encouragement and do not make them puppets.
- Lack of motivation: lack of motivation in students and as well as by the side of teacher also the reason for the lagging. Most of the students of their socio-economical conditions they neglect the language. Proper exposure and regular practice are not available to achieve fluency.
- Students are getting bored, inattentive in learning: the successful teaching and learning process, teacher must aware of the psychology of students that could help teachers to reach out the students. Teacher must try to relate the topic with their everyday tasks and experiences so that it becomes purposive, meaningful, joyful learning
- Hesitation towards English: teacher should encourage students’ participation and concentration on sharing learning experience. English teaching as second language wants more patience and attentive planning. Teacher involvement and making teaching fun that leads students feel the ease learning.
- Influence of mother tongue: it is the major threat to learning and communicating in English. Proper and judicious use of mother tongue give immense results. Teacher must help the learner to learn English language as English language only, translation should be avoid but need when it necessary.
- Over- crowded classes: teacher can give attention when the size of the class is small one, 35-40 students in a classroom makes ease for the teacher and also to learners, teacher can reach out the individual and make them to participate in learning. If the size being large students become mum participants.
- Faulty examination system: the syllabus is created wholly from the exam point of view. The content does not focus on raising the level of communicating competence of the students, they never produce a single sentence without error in English. Our examination system makes students cramming robots rather than testing their analytical and creative skills.
THE HURDLES TOSTUDENTS IN THEIR COMMUNICATION
- Socio-cultural and financial background of the family
- Most of the parents are illiterate
- Rural students neighborhood are not exposed to the same type of facilities and motivation as the city-bred children had
- Objective of syllabus differ to the students of government schools and colleges than the international schools and colleges
- Negative thoughts such as fear of being judged, making mistakes, sensitiveness and shyness of rural students make them not communicate fluently
- Lack of confidence/ faith in himself/herself
- Lack of qualified and trained teachers, they lack phonological and morphological background
- Emphasis on mother tongue than the use of English language, they resort to translation method.
REMEDIES TO OVERCOME THE HURDLES
- It should be made compulsory for students to speak only in English in schools and colleges
- Reinforce them to prefer English than the local language speaking to develop English speaking skill
- Guide them to develop their vocabulary and go for regular reading English news-paper and books
- Students’ articulation should be correct by the teachers
- Students should remember in his/her mind that learning and improving English communication skills is not really difficult task at all
- Help them to erase their negative thoughts such as fear of being judged, making mistakes, sensitiveness, shyness and inhibition
- Help them to be confident and have faith in themselves to overcome the hurdles in communicative skills
- They should join a communication skill center or should train themselves under the supervision of a good communicator of English language
- Provide them spoken English books that are published in both English and vernacular language that help them to grasp easily the rules and can converse in English within a short span of time
- They should try to speak in English with somebody for some time every day to get rid of fear and hesitation
- They should develop friendship with the people who are good at speaking and writing English language, spend the time with them and listen to them attentively
- There should be a additional periods for English so that students learn this language properly
- Small language libraries of English books would be very helpful to the students and they must make use of it
- Use of Language labs would be very helpful in developing communication skills
- Make arrangement of the competitions like public speaking, group discussion and dialogues once in week
- There should be discussion session in every period of English class
- Watching English movies and programs, listen to English programs would help to develop pronunciation, also communication
Teachers’ role in enriching communicative skills in the rural students
- Teachers must be qualified and well trained in phonology and morphology
- Teachers must have great interest in the teaching skills
- Teacher must inspire the students to communicate in English
- Teacher must conduct students- parents counseling session and explain them the advantages of universal spoken language
- Teachers must give them interesting and vocabulary developing tasks to the students
- Teacher must create the environment around the students which enables them to improve their communication skills
- Teacher should be a role model to the students in his accent, articulation and use of vocabulary
CONCLUSION
Teacher and learner are the two faces of the same coin as in teaching and learning process. The rapport with the both always remain strong for the growth and progress. As APJ ABDUL KALAM’s words “winner don’t do different things but they do things differently.” Teachers don’t need to teach new concepts everyday but can teach the same concept in an innovative way that which students will enjoy and learn. As the growing world witness horizon of the English usage and it suggest us that the fortune is wide if one could bear with English. Perhaps we had spent too much time in learning the rules and not enough on practicing its applicability in real life.
There is now need for reform in the subject matter of English language communication and teaching, and to redesign the curriculum according to the present requirements of the learner that should lay more emphasis on practical day–to-day English and appropriate teaching methods should be adopted at different level.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express my deep gratitude and indebtedness to my guide, Prof. M B Sadashivaiah,who has been very supportive to complete this article in time.
The inspiring support extended by Mrs. Srivalli mam, assistant professor in SreeSiddaganga college of Arts, Science and commerce. Tumkur.
My special thanks for my dear friends who helped to complete this work. And I also be grateful to my dear mother for her best support.
REFERENCES
- Applied linguistics (by R S Sharma) (IRAL,VOL.XVI/2 (1978) page, 88.
- A Need- based approach to teaching and learning English( ethesis.nitrkl.ac.in>priya_s_50713001.
- www.ijeast.com>papers>33-37, Tesma.
- Rodgers S. Theodore & Richards C. Jack: Approaches and Methods in language teaching, Second edition, Cambridge University Press
