Learning experiences in english at school

Think of your experience of learning English at school. How was the English taught and what do you think were the strengths and weaknesses of your own way of learning English? Select one weakness and how would you improve on this weakness on the basis of recent research in language teaching?

I was studying in Gujarati medium school. Our method of learning English was totally different from the English medium school. The method of teaching English was so simple. Our teacher used to translate all the English in the Gujarati. It called grammar translation method. Teaching English means translation of English language into Gujarati language. We students also used to learn English through this method. Teacher came in the class and translate whole lesson in Gujarati Teacher gave us key words for to write down for five to ten times, and we were also cramming that words and next day teacher asked that words with spellings and Gujarati meaning

After that teacher gave us exercises in home work. That time I was not so serious about English language because I knew that English has Gujarati translation. We students understand whole lesson in Gujarati.
Now I am talking about learning Poem In English. little bit it was interesting to learn poem because sometimes teacher was singing the poem and we were following her and after that same method of teaching English that she translated whole the poem in Gujarati and gave us homework. Now the turn of grammar. Grammar also has not any special method of teaching. Teacher gave us format of that particular point. For example if teacher taught us simple present tense she gave us format like.

Subject + verb + object
She also told us when we use it she wrote one or two, three sentences on the Black board and gave exercises for homework. So it was simple method for teaching English in the class. We can say that it was one way process or we can say that it was teacher centered class. Most of work was done by the teacher and it was being monotonous for the students. When our teacher taught us essay she wrote whole essay on the black board and we had to do just copy from the black board. So whole situation was not so difficult to teach English to the students.

When I was learning English at the school. It was totally different from the present time. But it had also some strengths and weaknesses in learning English.


Strengths
· When teacher gave us spelling for write-down. Five or ten times and also we had to remember it because she asked us that spellings next day so we were cramming that spellings with its meaning so it was good practice for us.
· When teacher gave us rules or format for grammar point it was being easy to understand that grammar point.

Weaknesses
· There were many weaknesses in teaching English like teacher was translating English in Gujarati language. She has never told us English meaning of key – words or vocabulary so we could not know other words of that particular word.
· Teacher never gave us any kind of group work or pair work.
· She taught us vocabulary with its Gujarati meaning but she did not teach us how to use this word in sentence or there was not any verbal illustration.
· When teacher taught us grammar she give us only rules but she never taught us that how to use this point in sentence so we couldn’t understand use of that grammar point.
· Teacher gave us exercises for homework and we students did copy from the guide so we never found text book for the questions. It means there was not any class work.
· Teacher never speaks in English in the class. So how can we speak in English in the class?
Now a days English become global language. There are many countries in the world which are using English language as a mother tongue. In our Gujarat English is taught as a second language. The process of teaching English is also being totally different. There are so many techniques in teaching English language. Now the classes are being learner centered students are being more active in the class.

Select one weakness and how would you improve on this weakness on the basis of recent research in language teaching?
· The weakness of that time was translation method. Teacher believed if I would translate whole lesson in Gujarati, so that students will be understand easily but this was not enough for teaching English language. Teacher had to make the students understand. Now a days many research happened in language teaching and on the basis of that research the method of teaching language is also changed. We have structural approach communicative approach functional approach etc. so on these ways. We have to improve the method of teaching English. At this time communicative approach is the most important function in language teaching. Translation is not necessary for the students. As a teacher to improve the weakness. I will have to be more practical in the class. Suppose I want to teach them a lesson than I will divide that lesson in three parts pre task while task and post task.
· In pre task I will ask them some questions or tell them a story , or show them pictures which is related to the theme of the lesson for example if the lesson is about animal I will ask them questions like.
1. Have you ever visited the zoo?
2. Which is our national animal? etc
· In while task I will ask them question based on lesson. I will allow them for loud reading so that they become familiar with the proper stress, intonation and pause of the sentences.
· In post task will give them group work or pair work. In group work for example I will ask them to write down story about animal which you know and one students from group has to read that story in front of the class.
· In grammar teaching I will ask them some questions which is related to that structure I will give them more exposures so that they can understand the form, meaning and use of that point. Suppose I will teach them Simple present tense so I will ask them q questions like.
1. Where are you come from?
2. When do you get up in the morning?
3. When do you go to the school?
Then give them more example of sentence for example.
1. She goes to the every day.
2. Lion leaves in a cave.

· When I will teach them a poem first of all I will create the right atmosphere for the pupils to understand the main idea of the poem. I will ask them question basked on poem them exercise tell then find out the rhyming words from the poem while word are repeated how many times?
· In essay writing I will provide them several points related to the topic. Suppose I will teach them essay on ‘kite flying day’ so I will give them some questions like
1. When it comes?
2. Which kind of preparation is doing before it comes?
so whole class or each and every student evolves in the class activity. Shy students are also being active in the class so it is teacher’s duty to make the students more practical in the class and class will be learner centre and students will also enjoy their study. We have to motive them to do the work themselves. We can also use computer based teaching or project based teaching. We can also use over head projector. It will be more effective to the students will be more interested in learning language. Teacher can give them strip story in the class and students will narrate that story means they will arrange that story in proper sequence. It will be help them to develop their fluency in the class.