The given article deals with the implementation of innovative techniques in teaching foreign languages. The method called “online grammar games”, a wide range of interactive techniques are studied. The effectiveness of integrating the video material in EFL classes is considered.
Key words: interactive method, integration, innovative techniques, video material, advantages, disadvantages
Данная статья посвящена имплементации инновационных технологий в преподавании иностранного языка. В ней рассматривается ряд разнообразных интерактивных технологий и так называемый метод «грамматических игр онлайн». Раскрывается эффективность интеграции видео материала на уроках иностранного языка.
Ключевые слова: интерактивный метод, интеграция, инновационные технологии, видео материал, преимущества, недостатки.
The modern day, teaching methods are nothing if not creative though, and we have been working to find more innovative, entertaining, and effective ways to teach grammar to students. With the introduction of communicative language teaching, English language teaching and learning has become much more demanding for teachers and learners. Games have become crucially important for English language learners and teachers not only because they provide enjoyment and relaxation, but also as they encourage students to use their language in a creative and communicative manner.
The biggest challenge any teacher faces is capturing the students’ attention, and putting across ideas in such a way that it stays with them long after they have left the classroom. For this to happen, classroom experience should be redefined and innovative ideas that make teaching methods more effective. It became a crucial part in teaching method, to implement innovative ideas that will help learners to get involved in the subject and acquire the grammar skills more effectively. Thus, it is “must” for educators to reinvent their teaching methods and make their classes interesting. On the other hand, grammar lessons have the unfortunate reputation of being boring, and majority think it cannot be implemented in a fun and creative way, avoiding a monotonous routine. By considering grammar from different points of view, teachers can overcome stereotypes, and students can begin to appreciate the power of language. Examining grammar through the lenses of math, art and humor, innovative teachers can inspire even the most uninterested students. Here are a few ideas and resources that can help you to change one of the most boring classroom subjects to the most interactive one.
It should be born in mind that language learning is a challenging task requiring constant effort especially for young learners. Games encourage learners to direct their energy towards language learning by providing them with meaningful contexts (Wright, Betteridge and Buckby, 1984). [2]
Talking about innovative approach, we should not neglect the role of the World Wide Web. As our day-to-day life is tightly connected with internet, the learning process should not be apart from that, as well. So, one of the innovative implementation can be seen in method called “online grammar games”.
Let`s consider the following ones: Sheppard Software
With games like Verbs in Space and Comma Chameleon, Sheppard Software combines fun scenarios with grammar lessons. All of the games are free.
ESL Games Plus
As the name suggests, ESL Games + is mostly targeted at students learning English as a second language, but some of the games help with grammar concepts useful to any student. Sentence Monkey, in particular, can help students learn different parts of speech in a playful context.
Maggie’s Earth Adventures
Maggie’s Earth Adventures is a set of games provided by Scholastic that explore different subject areas. You can choose from five games focused on grammar that touch on subjects like prefixes and suffixes, nouns and verbs, and punctuation. [2]
Online games provide language teachers with many advantages when they are used in classroom. One of these advantages is that learners are motivated to learn the language when they are in a game. Virtual competition, which is associated with games, plays a crucial role as for the nature of games requires. Learners are excited by competition because the question of who will win or lose remains unanswered until the game is over. Similarly, games’ making learning easier in an enjoyable way suggests that games are full of fun which leads to successful learning.
Another method in teaching grammar for young learners can be learning poems connected with ruler. Precisely, it can be done with Irregular verbs. Sometimes learners are not eager to learn by heart all the forms of irregular words, but here comes a poem with rhyme that can be easily learnt, moreover all forms of irregular verbs will be learnt with pleasure. It can be explained from the point, that teacher omits the monotonous routine and implements the creative approach, which will capture the interests of learners.
Я в буфете buy-bought-bought (покупать).
Первоклассный бутерброд,.
За него я pay-paid-paid, (платить).
В классе в парту lay-laid-laid (класть).
И совсем не think-thought-thought, (думать).
Что сосед его умнет.
И теперь мне очень грустно –.
Smell-smelt-smelt он очень вкусно! (пахнуть). [3]
Diary.Students write a diary entry about their previous day. They can then interview each other about their day. For example, “What did you do, after coming home from school?” ” I watched TV and played with my dog.”
Past simple battleship. A good activity for practicing past simple yes/no questions. Teacher should give students 6x6 grid. Down the left side of the grid put the start of past simple question with different pronouns e. g.”Did I …’ ’Did she …’, along the top will be six different endings to the questions e. g. ‘…played football?’ ‘eat a sandwich for lunch?’ etc. the student then have to place four ships (two squares in the length) on their grid either horizontally or vertically. Students then ask each other the questions to try and find battleship.
This kind of interactive games fosters not only the gained knowledge but also motivates learners to get involved in the learning process.
Another highly creative and innovative method in teaching the past simple tense will be “Short film description”. Instruction:1. Watch the clip and try to remember what happened.
2. Describe what happened in each clip. You can write (using the worksheet) or speak. 3. Use some of the verbs on screen. You must change them from present to past form. — E.g. “When the octopuses were hugging, someone took the pink one out of the tank.
According Laurie Rozakis’s book”English Grammar for utterly confused”, she points out several top trouble spots in grammar usage:” When someone complains that a person “cant’ write”, they are most often referring to errors that person makes in grammar and usage”, she explains and indicates to 5 common troubles, grammar learners face:
- Problems with subject-verb agreement
- Wrong verb tense
- Incorrect voice (active versus passive voice)
- Misplaced modifiers
- Lack of parallel structure [1.99]
With the help of this innovative tools and approaches in teaching English as foreign language, the acquisition of the language becomes efficient and the problems with grammar will vanish away, as these techniques tackle these troubles.
It should be stated that the fast advancement of technology and its transformation and application to education draw teachers' attention to find what requirements are needed for a facilitation and simplification of the learning success, through integrating learners in the classroom context that is in equilibrium with our digital age. In that sense, Dudeney & Hockly stated that: ''Technology is becoming increasingly important in both our personal and professional lives, and our learners are using technology more and more''
This infatuation (enthusiasm) for technology is due to many reasons:
– Internet access is progressively more accessible to learners either in their homes or Internet cafés.
– The use of technology can be the best way for integrating the real world into the classroom because the majority of learners grew up with technology and they integrated it automatically in their lives.
– Technology provides us with authentic tasks especially ELT materials.
– Technology, mainly Internet, offers good chances for the learners -even if they are dispersed geographically– to communicate and exchange their thoughts and ideas.
– —Technology supplies teachers with a plenty of published materials such as course books, texts, articles that can be helpful in teaching. Richards & Renandya, [4.219] pointed that in these latest years, using technological teaching aids became a familiar aspect in the classroom. So, there is no suspicion that its role will occupy a huge percentage in the second language classroom in the future.
Teaching aids or media are helpful tools for many teachers who use them to enhance their students' communicative skills and facilitate their learning process through refreshing the classroom environment. Teachers rely on these tools especially to reduce learners’ anxiety, boredom, and to create a sense of belonging. They stimulate students and enhance their motivation by attracting them to gain their interest and to transfer the course from inactive to more dynamic.
Since students are directly in contact with the video, they can easily associate between the images and the words which help them learn new vocabulary, culture, pronunciation, and even allow them to check their use of the target language. The video is a sort of communication device that enables students to view the form and speech of the SL discourse from the beginning to the end by the use of authentic language and the rate of speech' speed in different contexts. Chung & Huang (1998) clarify more this idea by noting that: «As more complete video instructional packages are made available to foreign language teachers, they search for ways to make students' learning experience more active and interesting, similar to those that occur in the real world» (p. 554).
Integrating the video material in EFL classes permits students via video's content, to guess the information, infer/construct them, and analyze the foreign culture that is brought into their learning context.
Many teachers ask why we should use and integrate the video as a part of our teaching method, since we are able to manage well the classroom and get our students motivated through their positive achievement. It is true that many students -with the classical way of teaching through gestures and board use- can achieve positively and become more successful in writing and listening skills; however, most of them become week and achieve poorly when they come to communicate (in writing or speaking). For that reason, a lot of researchers tackled the advantages and benefits of using the video as an educative tool in EFL classes.
Dr. Samir M. Rammal (2006) acquiesces the benefits of using the video by clearly stating the following arguments:
– The video is the best motive in the ELT environment, since it offers students a new experience of real feeling of realizing learning with authentic materials. So when they comprehend the video content and the teacher's objective behind using it, they became familiar with what is happening in the native speakers' circumstances.
– Videos endow learners with real language that is used by native speakers in their everyday interactions and communications. This evidence enables EFL students to learn easily the spoken discourse that comprises sounds, utterances, and the conveyed meaning that can be coded through the non-verbal explanatory body language.
– Through watching a video, students can acquire best the cultural aspects that go together with their foreign language in its appropriate context.
Dr. Rammal (2006) explicates more this point by arguing that: «A language teaching lesson with activities aimed at helping EFL learners get oriented both in language use and in cross-cultural interactions with native speakers of English».
In modern times there are a significant number of innovative techniques are available. Teachers should use all these innovative technique to avoid writing classes to be insipid. When speak about writing many students regard this as monotonous. But only by using innovative methods of teaching writing classes, especially in foreign language, may be so colorful and provoke students' interest.
References:
- Laurie Rozakis “English Grammar for the Utterly Confused” p.99
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281536862_Effectiveness_of_using_games_in_teaching_grammar_to_young_learners [accessed Dec 13 2017].
- lingualeo.com/ru/jungle/poems-with-irregular-verbs
- Richards, J. C. (1983). Listening comprehension: Approach, design, procedure. TESOL Quarterly 17(2), 219–240.
