TEACHING ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE IN INDIA : FOCUS ON OBJECTIVES

PAPER NO.- 12-A  ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING-1
TEACHING ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE IN INDIA : FOCUS ON OBJECTIVES
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PREPARED  BY- URVI DAVE

COURSE- M.A.

SEMESTER- III

ENROLLMENT NO.- 14101009

PAPER NO.- 12-A

PAPER NAME- ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING-1

BATCH YEAR- 2014-16

email ID- dave.urvi71@gmail.com

TOPIC- TEACHING ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE IN INDIA : FOCUS ON OBJECTIVES

SUBMITTED TO- SMT. S.B. GARDI

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

MAHARAJA KRISHNAKUMARSINHJI                BHAVNAGAR UNIVERSITY

 The term 'second language' is understood in two different ways :-

                               i.            English is second language after one or more Indian languages, which are primarily more significant;

                             ii.             In school education, the second language is what is introduced after the primary stage and has a pedagogical as well as a functional definition, particularly in the context of the 'three language formula'.

The global objectives of language teaching can be defined as helping children learn a language or languages to perform a variety of functions. These range from the sociable use of language for phatic communication and a network of communicative uses to its use at the highest level of 'catharsis' and 'self- expression'. Underlying these functions are two fundamental functions helping children learn how to ask questions, the most important intellectual ability man has yet developed, and helping children use this language effectively in different social networks. Languages in a multilingual setting from a system-network. Each language in this network has a  function- determined value contrasting to the function determined values of the other languages. A society or a government can assign a new value to anyone of the languages in the system network in terms of its own policy of language planning, but the society or government must realise that this assignment of a new value to a language will produce a chain reaction in the network. The values of the other language in the network are bound to undergo changes.

The notion of link languages or lingua franca has an important significance in a multilingual setting. It encourages wider morality, national integration, and a sense of tolerance. In enriches other languages in contact and gets enriched by them. Effective bilingualism or trilingualism or even multilingualism is a powerful way of enriching  the linguistic repertoire of individuals. These resources offered by plurality of languages can be used for rapid social and economic changes and modernization programmes. Learners are not just passive recipients of socially accepted language patterns. They play an active role in this teaching- learning process. They actively strain, filter and reorganise what they are exposed to their imitations are not photographic reproductions but artistic recreations. The learners are meaning makers. The main objective at every level of teaching should be to help learners how to draw out their latent creativity.

Every learner is born with a built in language learning mechanism. This mechanism gets activated when the learner is exposed to that language. What is essential is to create an atmosphere where learning can take place. Children learn the language they hear around them. Exposure to a rich variety of linguistic material is as important in first language acquisition as in second language learning. The teaching of English as a second language, has often been less successful than it might have been, as a result of the restricted variety of linguistic contexts with which students are provided.

Second language may be used as an auxiliary or associate language, as a slot-filler, performing those functions which are not normally performed by first language. For a vast majority of educated people living in towns and cities, English as a second language functions primarily as an interstate or international link language. Some of them also use it as an international language of knowledge, trade or industry. An important question here is - Is L2 the main or associated medium of instruction at all levels or at medium of instruction at all levels or at a particular level?

The objective of teaching a language or languages is not simply to make the learner the major language skills but to enable the learners to the play their communicative roles effectively and to select languages/ registers/ styles according to the roles they are playing.

"Every social person is a bundle of personae, A bundle of parts, each part having its lines.

The objectives have to be formulated in the light of what we perceive our needs for English to be in a multilingual setting at both the national and individual levels. This is related to the following questions :

1.    What are the roles of Hindi, English, Regional languages, Classical languages, Foreign languages and languages of the minority group in our multilingual settings?

2.    What are the topics and situations that will necessitate the use of English?

3.    What is the kind of English and amount that the learners will need?

At the national level, English must serve as our 'window on the world', as the language in which nearly all contemporary knowledge is accessible. As the language of science and technology, trade and commerce, political science, economics and international relations, English will be important be important for industrial and economic development. It will function as the "language of development". our scientists, technologists, engineers, doctors and economists must be able not only to have access to professional literature in English but also to contribute to it, and to communicate with their counterparts in other countries. The continuation of English seems important if our science and technology, trade and commerce, are to be truly international. English based Indian bilinguals constitute the third largest pool of trained and technical manpower in the world.

English may continue to be the medium of instruction in several faculties at the college level. These students will need a greater proficiency in the skills of listening, writing and speaking than students being taught through other languages. At the individual level, English continues to be ' the language of opportunity' and 'the language of upward social mobility'. Any individual seeking socio economic advancement will find ability in English as asset. English has important functions in communications of diverse types. The skills of communication will continue to be at a premium will and teaching will have to try to impart a certain minimal competence in these skills. The primary aim of teaching English as a second language at the secondary level should be to give the learners an effective mastery of the language, that is to help them acquire.

1.    The ability to read easily, and with understanding, books in English written within a prescribed range of vocabulary and sentence structure, and to read with good understanding easy unsimplified texts on familiar topics fully glossed and annotated in their known language;

2.    The readiness to proceed to a more advanced reading stage, that of  reading unsimplified texts, particularly those bound up with personal studies and interests, with the help of bilingual dictionaries;

3.    The ability to understand a talk in English on a subject of general experience and interest, clearly spoken and restricted in vocabulary and sentence structure to the range of the syllabus;

4.    The ability to carry on comprehensibly a conversation in English on a topic fully the range both of their experience and interests and well within the range of active command postulated by the syllabus.

5.     The ability to write comprehensibly in English and without gross errors on a familiar topic which lends itself to expression within the range of vocabulary and sentence structure that has been taught.

The level of active command to be aimed at should be adequate both for those who wish to pursue higher education at the end of the secondary stage and wish to enter upon a career. The term aims and objectives are used interchangeably. However both have different meaning. The main difference begging aim provide general direction to educational purpose whereas objectives indicates particular achiever to be made in specific time limit.

2 types of objectives : 1) General objective

                                     2) Specific objective

GENERAL OBJECTIVES

The general objectives are long term aims in comparison to the specific objectives. The general objectives are par with the aims and education. Therefore they are meant to be achieved during the schooling period of pupil. As English begins from 1st class and continues to be studied up to 12th class, these general objectives are to be well spread from 1-12 classes of school period. The objectives are decided in advance. They are distinct for each subject and standard. They state what to achieve at the end of the year or course. General objectives are the statement indicating general achievement regarding knowledge comprehension, application skill etc, there can be many specific objectives for one general objective :-

1.    Semantic aspect

2.    Phonetic aspect

3.    Graphic aspect

4.    Phonic aspect

Semantic aspect is related to understand meaning, meaning of words and their relationship with other words which are used in sentence.

Phonetic aspect deals with speech, sound, spellings and pronunciation of words.

Graphic aspect  deals with the written form of a language. It deals with the representation of language and script.

Phonic aspect deals with reading aspect of language development and literary development are also general objectives of it. It can help students to mug up English language but is not helpful in day to day communication.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

Besides the above stated general objectives of teaching. English, the teacher should have definite clear cut aims for each lesson in his mind. They are called specific objectives. In other words, these are objectives of teaching the content of lesson to indicate particular achievement to be made within specific time limit. They are short term goals, and can be achieved in the classroom. They are definite, clear, precise, to the point and expressible in the terms of achievements.

They are achievable in day to day learning. They will accord the teaching point of a teacher. It is very necessary for a teacher. It is very necessary for a teacher to specify his objectives of teaching. It helps him to know what he is to do of a particular lessons, why and how. Objective is an intent communicated by statement describing a proposed change in a learner a statement of what the learner is to be like when he has successfully completed a learning experience. It is a description of pattern of behaviour.

CONCLUSION :-  Teachers and learners are the greatest resources available to any society. The main aim of our educational system should be to provide the proper climate and facilities to allow all individuals to realise the full potential of their capabilities and to encourage them to use these capabilities in every appropriate way both for the enrichment of their personal lives and for the benefit of society.

Works Cited

Verma, Shivendra K. "Teaching English as a Second language in India: Focus on objectives." The Cambridge Guide to Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages 1 (2001).

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