Exploiting L1 Knowledge in L2/English Teaching: Teacher Education Possibilities

Geetha Durairajan

Professor, Department of Testing and Evaluation

EFLU, Hyderabad

gdurairajan@gmail.com

Paper Organization

Background InformationArticulation of the ProblemThe SolutionIts Teacher Education Implications

Nature of Language Use in India Societally and individually multilingual

at the grassroots level

Linguistically diverse with multilingualism as a positive force. (Multilinguality is the norm)

Educational: three language formula

English Speaker in India:Images and Perceptions

L2 learner is deficient and must approximate to native speaker norms

L2 learner has an interlanguage system which will get fossilized

L1 and L2 are 2 systems and the twain shall never meet

Language Use in Educational Space

Use of L1 in the L2/English Classroom is like a white lie.

Cannot be avoided, cannot be advocated either Language Classrooms: Domestic Watertight

compartments Think and write in one language (avoid

interlanguage)

Use of L1 in Traditional Classrooms

By the Teacher

For classroom management

- give instructions

- maintain disciplineTo elicit student responses To explain word meaning To teach grammarFor error correction

By the student

To reply To answer in classTo state that they do not know the answerTo talk to each other

Use of L1 in Traditional Classrooms

Outcome

Monolithic and monolingual language classrooms. (Mohanty, 2006)

No recognition of Multilinguality which includes attitudes, anxieties, social ties, abilities and resources

Multilingualism is only about the process and result of language acquisition

Nature of L2 User

The second language (L2) user is a particular kind of person in her own right with her own knowledge of the two languages

She is not a monolingual with an added L2 with separate knowledge of Ll and L2

Nature of L2 Teaching

Learning/teaching an L2 is not just about teaching the student how to add a few rooms to a house by building an extension at the back; it is like the rebuilding of internal walls. It implies that in some ways the construction of the house itself will change. Trying to put languages in separate compartments in the mind is doomed to failure since the compartments are connected in many ways.

Cook, V. 2001 

Cognitive Benefits of Bilingualism

Verbal originality (nouniness)

Verbal divergence (bilingual languaging)

Semantic relations (family, fruits)

Divergent thinking (different kind of creativity)

(Jessner 2006)

A new Approach to Language Teaching

Deliberate use of the L1 by the teacher in the English classroom, not to translate or explain, but tap world knowledge or knowledge of L1

Use it as a positive resource and appreciate child’s linguistic resources

Enable ‘capabilities’ and value the functionings these language users can achieve

Teach the student as well to use it as a resource and not be ashamed of it or apologize for it.

Research Work Done All regional medium students Class 4, year 2 of English: Assamese

medium teaching of vocabulary. Class 9, teaching of writing, Telugu medium,

opinion as personal narrative Under-graduate literature class, (studied

through Bangla medium in school)never read primary sources; only guide books

teaching of the notion of irony in the short story

A few examples

Vocabulary known and used (class 4)knowledge of time words, morning, noon,

night, evening, day, month, year, calendaryesterday, tomorrow, today

Weather: sunny, rainy, spring, rainy hot, coldKinship terms;Deictic markers: this, that, those, these..

Nouns and Adjectives (class 9, writing)

Pre test: habbit, a bad habbit, cancer..

Post test: knowledge, child, entertainment, happiness, physical fitness

my favourite game, my playing friends

Verbs: pre test:is, was has.. Post test: improve, enjoy, meet, play, spend, causes,

and like) Main verb+ gerund : practice running, likes playing

Irony in plot, character and narrative tone. Text aimed at: Pride and Prejudice. Bangla text, simple English text, complex Bangla text,

Bangla text in English Translation, Indian Literature in English., (and last of all, P & P)

Could mark places in the text where irony is to be found in Pride and Prejudice.

Could not write about irony.

Implications for Teacher Education

Will need to Raise teacher’s own self awareness of multilinguality and

language capability

Help the teacher go ‘meta’ on her own language use (could use translation as a teaching technique)

Teach about these concepts in content classes

Moot the possibility of a language education teacher training programme

Thank you

Multilingual Question Time