The Importance of Effective Teaching Methods for Bilingual Students

Discuss about the Tesol for Journal of Research in Reading.

Eating and Drinking is a Unit 6 chapter in the learning textbook with four sections. I looked at the classified subcategories with different instructions and noticed that each section has activities and practical examples and practice exercises. The material provides a systematic approach to language lessons with learner activities that enhance listening, speaking, reading and emotional skills. The instructional chapter has a design that targets learners at a young age. Targeting 7-8 year olds, the chapter contains colorful images, videos and narratives for interactive learning. I must agree that this unit is effective because of its applications of the principles of learning. Developing literacy skills at this stage involves an understanding of basic phonology, syntax, vocabulary, meaning of words and basic communication. I have worked with young people and I can say that they learn by instructions. The creative use of pictures and visual aids makes this more effective. The programmed learning approach is transformational for bilingual teaching. I noticed the application of three learning principles namely:

• Giving learners an opportunity to use the second language in achieving communication
• Engaging learners with content to arouse their curiosity and ability to pay attention
• Stimulating the students intellectual and emotional ability with participation

I was able to attest to the validity of the material in this perspective (Burgoyne, Whiteley, & Hutchinson, 2013).

Chun (2014) carries out a research in which he notes the importance of instructional competence in EFL. In support of this notion, I believe that learning a foreign language at a foundational level requires effective teaching methods. Learning at different stages has effectiveness depending on the teacher’s experiences. L1 lays the foundation for future strengths and capabilities. Therefore, an effective preparation method is effective and the language lessons require relevant literature for teaching and development of materials. Communication is a process that engages the brain and memory. Children at this stage are able to translate information through instructions. The instructional theory operates by the cognitive and states that the format of the instructions should connect with the process (Sweller, 1994: Paas & Sweller, 2012). The questions act as a guide on how to find information in a text. I think educational psychologists were right to point out that cognitive psychology is important in bilingual development. Elementary teaching examples like this one support interactive learning for bilingual children. This reminds me of a research that I came across as I was looking into bilingual learning. In this study, Byers & Williams (2013) disqualifies common myths about bilingual students.

Unit 6 examples of such opportunities include activity 4, which has pictures and conversations. The use of sentences gives learners a chance to participate in learning through practical examples. Sticking to the topic, this task gives students a scenario that they are familiar with in life.  Jogging the memory of the learner, the unit brings out conversations within the pictures. From the images, it is evident that the unit is sensitive to the cultural background of the learners. It uses images of Chinese people giving the learner confidence and a familiar setting. Section 3 of Activity 3 has more opportunities for participation. My view of this section is that it captures the role of short stories as well as the question and answer techniques in learning. These capture then the interest of then learners and it triggers the acquisition of literacy through observation (Hall & Cook, 2012). One of this is the notion that learning more than one language confuses the learners.

Examples of Effective Learning Opportunities in ‘Eating and Drinking’ Chapter

The ‘Eating and Drinking’ unit uses practical examples with predictable guides to grammar. For example, Section 2 Activity 1 presents a song for the students to listen and images of the fruits mentioned in the song. Since the students are eager to find the answers will find answers, they will listen to the video with the song. Communication in this language lesson capture speaking, writing and reading skills. One writing activity is 2.2, which gives the student an opportunity to write the names of the food in categories of ‘junk food’ and ‘balanced meal’. This is an opportunity for the students to incorporate more vocabularies. Knowledge development and skill acquisition are specific to learners and different contexts. In this unit, I was keen on the speaking sections because bilingual learners face challenges with accents. I realized that the video in Activity 4.1 was effective because it gives the teacher a chance to identify weak students who are unable to comprehend well.

The use of texts and methodology for language learning and educational development includes engaging learners with content, language communication and stimulating intellectual activities According to Masuhara & Tomlinson (2004, p. 11 ) the adaptation of learning materials involves developing what is suitable to learners and different situations. The unit uses a common theme that entices every one making it easily understandable by the bilingual learners. The pictures used are friendly and appropriate for young learners. I pictured the bilingual leaners connecting with their favorite foods as they skimmed through the unit. Some activities were more interesting to others. For example, every student at the age of 7-8 years will be interested with a food shopping activity more than one on balanced diet or healthy eating. Instructional materials support teaching processes as much as they enhance learner needs. A teacher often needs ideas on how to engage learners by adapting different materials.  

Throughout the unit, the learner participates in a learning process. Activity 5.1 of the unit identifies an instructional text with the use of an animated character “Harry”. The teacher is able to involve the learner in this task because the student uses listening and comprehension skills to listen to the story and interact effectively (Tomlinson, et al., 2003). The development of language involves a mental process in which a student goes through self-discovery. The learner gains insight through the social context. The unit has examples from real life interactions. For example the pictures show a child shopping with parents at the groceries, bakery, and at a restaurant. The role of the family comes out clearly giving the student an opportunity to enlarge on imagination. The teacher has numerous opportunities to engage the student’s curiosity through the activities

The Role of Instructional Materials in Enhancing Learning Experiences

Group work activities such as Activity 4 of Section 1 asks the student to think about what they like. Sentences such as “I like…’ and “I do not like…” give the learner a chance to juggle their memory. Activity 5 follow up with examples for a conversation with partners. Asking partners questions about what they like is an opportunity for the bilingual student to learn about other members of the group. This is an effective way to teach students in a multicultural setting. Teachers need instructional material more than the students do, especially when they do not have their own designs (Masuhara & Tomlinson, 2004, p. 18). Adaptation materials make learning interesting by classifying materials. This unit has poems, role-plays, videos and pictures with topic types that shape a learner’s enthusiasm.

This unit is also effective for other non-student learners. It provides a guide for publishers on how to prepare interesting material for the target group. Material writers are aware that the use of cartoon characters is effective because it involves learners within the young age category. The use of videos is a sound based approach to developing listening skills. By arranging the activities with different content, the author provides a holistic approach to learning (Lewis, Jones, & Baker, 2012). Teachers use interesting content in order to motivate learners in a bilingual class to participate.

I often wonder about some beliefs and the role of teaching and learning experiences. The validity of Unit 6 lies in the material development, which targets the skill gaps. Language studies. Theories of bilingual language advocate for the use of grammar patterns in contexts (Jones & Waller, 2015). This allows the learner to explore bits and pieces of language clusters. The language spot at the end of Section 1 enlightens the learner. By collecting words, the student forms a vocabulary. Some words are in form of syntax, pragmatic and lexicology. Language formulation through categories in Section 2 Activity 1 and Activity 2 helps learners to connect food categories by classifying them into different types of fresh foods. Learners at this level appreciate pictures because of the reality factors. Vivid pictures in Activity 2.1 of Section 2 are alive and more real than the images in 2.2 of the next page. Watching YouTube videos like 4.1 and arranging the pictures correctly is one way for the teacher to jog a student’s mind. Section 3 crowns it all by providing an exercise for the student to read and match the words. The emotional involvement at this stage means the language makes sense, supports self-expression and is enjoyable.

The Impact of Cognitive Engagement and Interaction in Language Learning

In the sections, the first activity features matching the words followed by videos, and reference to pictures. Achieving communication skills requires the use of pragmatic examples from real life examples (Tomlison, 1994). The learner’s attitude depends on the strategies used by the teachers and it lays the foundation for future language tactics. Dealing with behavioral tactics requires specific approaches, focus on principles, the learning objectives and strategic approaches. The pragmatic approach recognizes gaps in the native learner’s target language in order to improve on the competencies. Proficiency includes the ability to help learners develop their internal perceptions, intelligence and positive energy. The use of role-plays motivates learners to look forward to the lessons. When students participate in learning in groups, they learn from other, find social support and courage. Social Psychologists support group formation in a bicultural environment (Bonilla-Silva, 2004). This book uses group activities like Activity 4 of Section 1, Activity 3 of Section 2, and Activity 2 of Section 3. In section 4, Activity 4 incorporates role-play, pictures and sentence constructions to engage the learner’s mind. A creative teacher who wants to capture the attention of the students may skip all sections and start with Section 4, Activity 5.2 that involves personification. The learners imagine themselves as animals for a lively performance. Children in the primary school level have a wild imagination. Dialogue is one of the most common strategies use in the student engagement principles (Jones & Waller, 2015).

Language learning principles are evident in learning materials used in the classroom. Unit 6 is an example of a comprehensive course material that capitalizes on multiple strategies based on learning principles. Language is dynamic and it requires practice through tasks and multiple activities (Rea, Clementson, Tilbury, & Hendra, 2011). This unit is about eating and drinking and it uses appropriate texts and audiovisual methods to capture the learner’s interests. Learning through pictures and videos is ideal for the target students because of their age. When preparing learning materials, teachers and language professionals pay attention to ways of stimulation the learner through psychological factors, engagement processes and effective use of the target language for communication. 

Conclusion

Language principles guide both the student and the teacher. Finding a reliable learning material depends on the effectiveness of the lessons and language skills acquired. Quality literature material used in bilingualism contains clear texts, a simplified language and visual aids. This unit is a representation of the course book because it gives a sequence of activities covering listening, writing, reading and speaking techniques. The unit has activities in segments and sub segments for effectiveness. 

References

Bonilla-Silva, E. (2004, November). From bi-racial to tri-racial: Towards a new system of racial stratification in the USA. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 27(6), 931-950. Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/BAT/Downloads/2184242_1740160307_EBS-FromBiracialtoTriracial.pdf

Burgoyne, K., Whiteley, H. E., & Hutchinson, J. M. (2013). The role of background knowledge in text comprehension for children learning English as an additional language. Journal of Research in Reading, 36(2), 132-148.

Byers, H., & Williams, L. C. (2013). Bilingualism in the early years: What the science says. Learning Landscapes, 7(1). Retrieved April 26, 2018, from file:///C:/Users/BAT/Downloads/Byers-Heinlein_Lew-Williams2013.pdf

Chun, S. Y. (2014). EFL learner’ beliefs about native and non native english-Speaking teachers: Perceived strengths, weaknessess and preferences. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development , 563-579.

Hall, G., & Cook, G. (2012). Own-language use in language teaching and learning. Language teaching, 45(3), 271-308.

Jones, C., & Waller, D. (2015). Corpus Linguistics forr Grammar: A guide for Research. London: Routledge. Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/BAT/Downloads/2183647_297825655_Chap51.pdf

Lewis, G., Jones, B., & Baker, C. (2012). Translanguaging: Origins and development from school to street and beyond. Educational Research and Evaluation, 18(7), 641-654.

Masuhara, H., & Tomlinson, B. (2004). Developing language course materials. Seameo Regional Language Centre.

Paas, F., & Sweller, J. (2012). An evolutionary upgrade of cognitive load theory. Using the human motor system and collaboration to support the learning of complext cognitive tasks. Educational Psychology Review, 24(1), 27-45.

Rea, D., Clementson, T., Tilbury, A., & Hendra, L. A. (2011). B1+Coursebook with e-Portfolio. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from English Unlimited Course Content: file:///C:/Users/BAT/Downloads/2183648_1920970805_EnglishUnlimitedCourseContent5.pdf

Sweller, J. (1994). Cognitive load theory, learning diffulty, and instructional design. Learning and instruction, 4(4), 295-312.

Tomlinson, B., Masuhara, H., Ivanic, R., Hughes, R., Carter, R., & Bolitho, R. (2003). Ten questions about language awareness. ELT Journal, 57(3), 251-259. Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/BAT/Downloads/2183653_283526531_tenquestionsaboutlanguageaware.pdf

Tomlison, B. (1994). Pragmatic awareness activities. Language Awareness, 119-129.