View of SMART APPROACHES TO TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE AT SCHOOL LEVEL

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ACCENT JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS ECOLOGY & ENGINEERING Peer Reviewed and Refereed Journal, ISSN NO. 2456-1037

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Vol. 06, Special Issue 08, (ELL-2021) November 2021 IMPACT FACTOR: 7.98 (INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL)

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SMART APPROACHES TO TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE AT SCHOOL LEVEL

Farooz Ahmad Ganai

Research Scholar, Lovely Professional University

Abstract- English is one of the rare languages that is followed and spoken all around the world. Rich in its literature, it has accomplished global status and has a vital place in India's educational system. Thus it has become the need of the hour to teach and train students for the skillful use of the English Language so that they can compete globally and harness the benefits of the English language. Communicating in the English language also helps us to become familiar with the diverse cultures of the world. But teaching the English language at school seems to be a herculean task if the teachers are not familiar with modern methods or follow the smart approaches.

Moreover, the most favorable and the best age for learning a foreign language is the school-age and the imitating abilities of a child, natural curiosity towards learning new knowledge and fresh slate-like brain helps in overcoming the challenges faced while teaching/learning a foreign language.

This paper aims at getting familiar with the smart and pragmatic approaches and new methods to teaching English as a foreign language. As an English language teacher, I will also define the practical approaches and ways that I use while teaching English as a foreign language to school-going young learners that enhance their communication skills.

Keywords: Smart Approaches, Foreign Language, new methods, herculean task, school-age

1. INTRODUCTION

Today, English is the language of globalization, cultural communication, market, art and music, and broadcast. Due to its dynamic growth, the English language has kept the whole world knitted and connected. Richards (2001) has expressed that English no longer is viewed as the property of the English-speaking world but is an international commodity sometimes referred to as English an International Language (The Role). To be competent with the English language and create an atmosphere of healthy communication should be the primary focus of both teachers and students at the school level.

In the Indian subcontinent, one of the greatest excitements of school-going students is to learn the English language for communication. Will it be called just a craze or is it a marvelous achievement of their life? In my opinion, learning a foreign language (English) at the school is a glorious triumph that shapes students' creativity and careers. Addressing the morning assemblies, giving the class presentation, and delivering a speech at a school event in English are a delightful achievement and a dream of every student. Then it becomes necessary to learn the English language from the very beginning to get proper education since most of the modern schools in the subcontinent impart knowledge through the English medium.

According to William Wordsworth, "the child is the father of man" (My Heart 1802). It means that the behavior and the activities a child is going through in his childhood remain with him forever while shaping his personality.

School days are the most gifted days in which strong foundations of learning and communicating in English can be laid. Speaking in a foreign language (English) motivates and boosts their morale that makes them creative. Phobia of English language learning gets vanished if English as a language is cultured at the school level.

Confidence level rises among the young talent of the nation. So as a teacher, it becomes

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necessary for us to learn the modern approaches to teaching English as a foreign language at the school level.

These days, there are multiple modern trends available to the students to learn communication or soft skills apart from their traditional approaches and methods.

Information and technology have received a boom in the recent decade that revolutionized the educational sector and pedagogy, especially in India. And English language teaching has undergone a tremendous change over the years, especially in the passing decade.

There are multiple career options available to the students if they have learned soft skills, technical skills, ICT skills, and communication skills. Since everything ranging from fashion designing to food, habits have undergone a transformation but static strategies and methodology of teaching the English language remain old- fashioned. So the educational industry should adopt new approaches and methods to be compatible at the international level.

2. NEW AND SMART TECHNIQUES OF TEACHING ENGLISH

While teaching English, one of the most important things that a teacher should remember is to treat and teach English as a language and not as a subject. Therefore the process of English communication learning should be prioritized by the teacher, keeping it child/student-centered. Automatically there will be seen an improvement in quality teaching and a culture of communicative teaching English can effectively cultivate among students. It means that communicative competence will further develop and an atmosphere of acquisition of knowledge and education will get enriched. The target of the textbooks should not only be the narration of any story but it should include various accents and pronunciation processes to encourage and boost the students in the English language classroom. It will make students creative and they will also learn language content, hence learning activities will make learning interesting.

As Rivers (1987) correctly mentions, "a diet of grammar exercises and drills cannot give the feeling for other living, breathing human beings that exploring the things they enjoy can do" (p. 14). It means that he talks about a healthy atmosphere in the classroom that should be created in which active participation of students is vital.

Thus, the Interaction method is better to replace boredom with creativity. Interaction within the class and outside the class is a phenomenal strategy to have opted while teaching the English language. When the teacher-student relationship is based on interaction, continuous language learning and overall development are seen evolving.

The interaction session within the classroom among classmates develops fluency and the attitude that one should have while public speaking. During pandemic days, this method of teaching developed with pace as the traditional schooling had no space. Only the interface came to the rescue of pedagogy. There was only online teacher-student and student vs. student interaction seen while teaching. Krashen and Terrell (1988), pronounce that the natural or inborn approach to language acquisition is inferred and is not learned; "speaking fluency is thus not (taught) directly; rather, speaking ability (emerges) after the acquirer has built up competence through comprehending input" (p.

20). Moreover, the Indian Council of School Education (ICSE New Delhi) also applauded and recommended this approach.

Similarly, there are different seminars, web conferences' and similar other programs like FDP workshops conducted routinely where teachers are updated about the various professional ideologies. Material and content for ELT are made available that helps teachers to skillfully use the English language and be efficient and accurate while using grammatical structures.

The COVID 19 pandemic drastically changed the narrative of the world of pedagogy. According to the World Economic Forum, "More than 1.2 billion children in 186 countries (were) affected by school closures due to the pandemic". In the Indian

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subcontinent, the role of information technology (IT) had been hardly trusted and applauded in the pre-pandemic times. But Learning remotely was the only option that was to rely upon. New ways and methods in the teaching/learning process that had evolved before came to lame light during a pandemic. Web-based learning developed swiftly. Many English web classes now offer training courses for learning and upgrading basic language skills such as learning, speaking, reading, and writing. Students now correspond to the native speakers through different web blogs, interfaces like zoom, or easily communicate through electronic mail. This provides an advantage in revisions, feedback, suggestions, and quizzing, which means evaluation is done to have an overall assessment of performances by the students.

Short Messaging Services (SMS), WhatsApp chats, and Social Media like FB, Instagram comments, and replies have been a gigantic move towards learning the English language. Not only has the writing skill advances but communicative with native speakers in audio and visual mode advances the pronunciation and accent of learners that in turn helps in nativity in fluency.

Interviewing and debating can be another method that can be made an important method of pedagogy; especially for enhancing communication skills and fluency. Social media news blogs and channels have revolutionized interviewing and debating methods. Thousands of debates and various interviews are broadcast daily across social media sites that help in developing a culture of interviewing and debating in the classroom. Even students should take active participation in commentaries of sports like cricket and football etc. Schools should organize different tournaments and students should be provided the opportunity of commenting, having pre and post- match debates. The classroom culture of interviewing teachers in a panel will make learning interesting. This method will prove as a refresher to both teachers and learners. This session includes a question-answer session in an elaborative. A recent interesting incident or event should be the theme of the talk in which entertainingly, a student must have enjoyed it earlier. Let's take an example of a cricket match between Indian and Pakistan in an extended and elaborative manner for example:

3. JUST ON ENTERING THE CLASSROOM Teacher: Good morning students.

Students: (all) Good Morning Sir.

Teacher: What a match it was played between India and Pakistan. Did you enjoy it?

Students: Yes, of course, sir, we enjoyed it a lot….

Thus the topic is interesting, students will enjoy it a lot and they will take a great interest in it. Moreover, different other topics related to economy, polity, and morality should be discussed with the student in a dialogic form.

At the end of the lesson or topic, the culture of asking for suggestions and solutions should be boosted. An inclusive method of collecting opinions from the students on different issues related to polity, environment, and or science and technology should be appropriated while communicating in English. This will help in shaping them the future intellectuals and think tanks and at the international level; our country will get appreciation and recognition.

4. CONCLUSION

A teacher in class has a vital role to play. Society has expectations tied to him. The teacher must play a role of a guide. He should be a facilitator, a psychologist, a counselor, a manager, and after all a father. Sometimes a teacher should keep a hawk's eye on his students and keep an environment of learning in the classroom as family conflicts lingering in students' minds may spoil the goal of the teacher. Before starting a topic, there should be a mind refresher spice mixed at the beginning like starting a lecture with a joke so that students may laugh. But the class should not get out of

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control. He should love his profession. Since the world is transforming so he should keep himself updated with the mechanics of modern technology and keep his pupil up to date?

REFERENCES

1. Nivis, Deda, MA."The role of Pragmatics in English Language Teaching. Pragmatic Competence":

Academic Journal of the Interdisciplinary Studies Sapienza University of Rome, vol. 2, No. 4 pp. 63-70 2. Kamalja, Mahesh. And Khatik Salman Faruk. "Modern Approaches and Methods in Teaching English Language": International Journal of Research & Innovation. Vol. 02, Issue – 03 March – 2016 pp. 6-13 3. Alinezhad, Amin. "The Significance of Pragmatics in English Language Teaching": ELT Voices - India'

International Journal for Teachers of English, vol. 5, issue, 2015, pp.19-24

4. Wordsworth, William. Lyrical ballads, with other poems. In two volumes. By W. Wordsworth. Second edition. Volume 2 of 2. Gale ECCO, Print Editions September 14, 2012

5. Strevents, Peter. 1987. "Interaction outside the classroom: Using the community". In Wilga M Rivers (ed.) 1987. Interactive Language Teaching, pp. 170-176. New York: Cambridge University Press.

6. Nagaraj, Geetha. English Language Teaching Approaches, Methods, Techniques II edition. Orient Black Swan Hyderabad 1996. Print.

7. Pandit, Kute and Suryawanshi. 1999. Communicative Language Teaching In English. Pune: Nuntan Prakashan.