In most Pakistani schools the
so-called 'grammar-translation' method is used to teach English. Grammar
translation is a way of studying a language that approaches the language first
through detailed analysis of its rules of grammar, followed by application of
this knowledge to task of translating English sentences and text into Urdu and
from Urdu into English. Great value is placed on the reading of English and its
writing/copying but no attention is given to speaking the language or to
listening it being spoken by a fluent speaker.
Grammar is taught deductively through presentation and study of its rules which
are later practiced through Urdu-to-English and English-to-Urdu translations or
via fill in the blanks exercises. As a result, students learn all the
grammatical rules of the language but not the language.
Most of our language teachers believe that the fundamental purpose of learning
English is to be able to read English literature rewrite some exercises from the
textbooks and fill some blank spaces in exam papers. Fictional language is
considered superior to spoken language.
Their only goal of teaching English is to enable students to translate Urdu into
English and vice versa. Furthermore, as the students are required to write an
essay, application, letter and story in their annual examination, they are
dictated specific stories like 'Thirsty crow', 'Greedy dog' and 'Union is
strength' by their teachers.
They are also given notes on essay topics that come again and again in the exams
like 'A morning walk', 'My best teacher' (sic), 'The postman' or on how to write
a letter to one's uncle thanking him for a gift. The students usually memorize
these notes so as to reproduce them perfectly in an exam.
The ability to communicate in English is not the teaching aim in the case of the
vast majority of our English teachers in government schools. In order to explain
to students the meaning and use of a new word, teachers’ new words in single
sentences. While they do this, there is no active use of English in class, the
result being that students get no opportunity to practice their speaking or to
learn the phonetics of the language. As a result many of our students cannot
pronounce even very simple English words.
Grammar is usually taught deductively through repetitions and drills. Such
activities are boring and do not even necessarily teach grammar. The grammar is
distributed in different topics like tenses, active and passive voice, direct
and indirect speech, subject-verb agreement and so on. These topics dishearten
and confuse students because more often than not they cannot apply these rules
in their routine verbal communication.
Grammar is the part of the natural form of language and it should be taught
inductively. This inductive teaching of grammar should try and involve students
in a way that requires them to think and not just provide mechanical responses.
It is a very common practice in our public schools that a teacher or a student
read a paragraph from the textbook and then the teacher translates it word by
word into Urdu. In the end one are two students re-read the paragraph with the
Urdu translation. Some teachers write the difficult words along with the Urdu
translation on the black board and students copy it in their notebooks. One
wonders what this achieves.
Most linguists are of the opinion that a second language can be taught without
translation it into the learner's native tongue provided the teacher explains
the meaning to the learner through demonstration and action. A language could
best be taught and learnt by using it actively in the classroom rather than
using analytical procedures that focus on grammatical rules. So teachers need to
encourage direct and spontaneous use of English in classroom.
This is where the importance of speaking English and listening to others speak
it comes in. Unfortunately, this is something our government teachers completely
ignore, perhaps partially because most of them are not able to speak the
language fluently themselves. Only the teacher is the source of knowledge and
students are passive followers of the teacher and the text. Spoken language is
more important than written words especially when a new language is being
taught.
One way to do this would be for the teacher to create situations in the
classroom where students are encouraged to express their ideas and opinions on a
particular topic in the language that is being learnt.
Writing, too, is an important aspect of learning English. There is a very close
relationship between writing and thinking. The students in our schools usually
write for the teacher or an examiner. But not much thinking goes into their
writing, which isn't really their fault all that much because that is the way
they have been taught.
They copy from a textbook or the blackboard into their copy and submit it to the
teacher. This practice of copying limits them to the ideas of the others and
they never try to write formulate and write down their own original ideas.
Besides, teachers also make the mistake of asking students questions that mostly
require a one-sentence answer.
Clearly, not much thinking or analysis goes into putting down on paper such an
answer, and no wonder such questions test memory rather than any thinking or
analytical skills on the part of the student. Just as in speaking a new
language, students being taught English have to be given opportunities to write
their own ideas and opinions in the language.
They should be given time to write freely on any topic of their liking to
develop some kind of fluency. Topics from textbooks can be used but teachers can
always organize a class activity and base the speaking and writing exercises
around that activity.
Usually, in our government schools a teacher and the textbook he or she uses
take center-stage in the language learning process with a student's role being
passive and mostly peripheral. Learning a new language is quite a natural thing
for many people, especially when they are young and the teacher should keep this
in mind when conducting a lesson.
This means that students who are being taught English should be asked to play a
more active role in the lesson. For example, instead of a teacher using a new
word in a sentence and then students copying it down in their notebooks, it
would be much better if each individual student is given a chance to use the new
word in a sentence of his or her making. Pictures, illustrations and even actual
objects can and should be used in the teaching of the language, especially
because they allow students to relate to what is being taught.
Perhaps most importantly, English should be the exclusive language of the
classroom and there should be no need by a teacher to use the native language of
the students to translate the meanings of English words. Communicative
interactions encourage students to negotiate meanings of new words and
facilitate the building of cooperative relationship among them.
According to linguists, accuracy in a language comes from being fluent and those
teaching methods that stress accuracy first actually hinders a learner from
achieving fluency. Students need to be encouraged to speak as much as possible
in English. Fun, novelty and positive reinforcement are very important stimuli
to motivate learners to take interest in such language learning.
Teachers should understand that like any language, English has to be taught as a
whole language. The four language skills - listening, speaking, reading and
writing - should be taught all together as an integrated whole. Furthermore, a
link between classroom activities and students' real life language can
facilitate the learners' in becoming fluent in the language.
There is no one right way to teach English but a degree of sensitivity to the
needs of the learners and flexibility is required to accommodate different
interests, different social backgrounds personalities and learning needs of the
students.