When I think about my experience with English, I inmediately think on the University where I studied for being an English teacher.
Of course I had English lessons at school, but now I realized that those lessons where absolutely focused on grammar. The listening, speaking, reading and writing skills were never taught, but at the end of the unit, we were asked to write something, to speak about a chapter of a book and to listen to a conversation and answer some questions.
At school, I felt very frustrated with English.
Then, I don't know why, I decided to took the English minor at University. I can say that there I learnt English, and I develop all the skills for being able to communicate in the language, and also I learnt the methodology to teach it.
Nowadays, I have been in touch with the language, because I have been studied the Master and also because I have been teaching English for two years to six years old girls.
Eventhough I learnt English according to the cognitive approach, now I teach it according to the communicative approach.
I think that today English is an important language around the world.As people need the language as a tool of communication they also help teachers to use more communicative approaches to teach them.As students have access to internet or cable TV, the amount of English that they listen to every day is enormous and the way they usually learn is also different.
ResponderEliminarI think that children´s interest, the way they learn is very different as the way we used to. That is why I think that you are right when you teach your student according to the communicative approach and not how our teachers taught us years ago.
ResponderEliminarI agree! However, the communicative approach is a big umbrella term. Which elements do you think are most effective? Does your school expect you to teach communicative grammar? How do you create a "real" need for authentic communication? I think these would be interesting things to consider:)
ResponderEliminar