SECOND LANGUAGE TEACHING

Language learning and language teaching occur within social and cultural contexts. As one masters a language, one is also becoming a member of the community that uses this language to interact, learn, conduct business, love and hate, and participate in a myriad of other social activities ( Diaz-Rico and Weed,1995). As students learn a second language, their success is dependent on such extralinguistic factors as the pattern of acculturation for their community; the status of their primary language in relation to English; their own speech community’s view of the English language and the English-speaking community; the dialect of English they are hearing and learning and its relationship o standard English; the patterns of social and cultural language usage in the community ( Lavob,1972 as stated by Diaz-Rico and Weed,1995)

There are lots of factors that come into play in learning a second language. These factors either contribute to the success or failure in acquiring the target language. Snow (1992) as stated by Echevarria and Graves (2003) concludes that “second language acquisition is a very complex process; its success or failure will not be explained by a single factor or theory.” As what I mentioned in the previous discussion, many factors can influence acquisition of English. These include, but are not limited to: motivation, age, access to the language, personality, first-language development, quality of instruction, and cognitive ability. 

The issue on how proficiency in L2 (i.e., English) is closely related to socio-economic class is backed by research findings. According to the article, Understanding the Needs of Students from Low Socio-Economic Backgrounds, published by the Victorian Government in Australia, Socio-economic disadvantage is generally associated with factors such as low-quality living environments, mobility, family unemployment or underemployment, lack of access to resources that stimulate learning such as books and pre-school programs, poor health and social discrimination. These circumstances equate with poor attendance, lower retention rates; less readiness for schooling and poorer average outcomes at school. Additionally, research indicates that students dealing with poverty and other difficult family circumstances are more likely to have poorer literacy and numeracy outcomes. They may arrive at school less prepared for learning, come from households where there are fewer supports for learning or where the consequences of not learning are not as well appreciated as they are in other households. Hence, the kind of motivation these learners received from homes has a big impact in their language learning.

Moreover, Elsworth (2011) states that “a person's social class is reflected in his speech. People who have lower educational levels or who are new to English-speaking countries often speak different forms or dialects of English than their middle- or upper-class counterparts. The inability to speak standard business English can interfere with a person's ability to find a high-paying job, obtain an education or become upwardly mobile in society. The lack of language skills is often passed from parents to their children”. She added that when it comes to the acquisition of vocabulary, USA Today indicates that children who come from lower-income homes, whose mothers have low vocabulary skills, are at a permanent disadvantage in the classroom. Since they learn to speak at home, they are affected by their mother's lack of vocabulary. They do not read as quickly as their peers, and they often use non-standard English. This can lead to lifelong academic difficulties. These academic learning problems often result in low-paying, minimal-skill jobs when the child reaches adulthood.

In like manner, the article, Language Development and Socio-Economic Status, indicates that of all the parent-child activities, reading to children has a major influence on the subsequent language development of the child. This is so, because the other verbal interactions between parents and children that occur during meals, playtime, dressing up, etc, are nowhere as verbally rich as reading is. It is also a well-established fact that parents from middle-class and higher socioeconomic backgrounds spend more time reading to their children than their poorer counterparts. This implies that children from the lower strata of society are at an increased risk of language delay. They are also generally found to possess poorer reading skills and below average academic performance (Mendelsohn, Leora, et.al. 2001, p.130) as stated in Psychology Society.       

In the context of political issues which affect people's perspective of the L2, a lot of biases came into view as to how others view their culture as the most superior than the other. Research shows that “immigrants in countries like the United States, Australia, and Canada have little opportunity to practice English (in the workplaces, for instance) because ‘native’ speakers of the language do not want to talk to them. Immigrants are being resisted by citizens of the countries they want to call their ‘second homes’. Immigrants are deemed inferior culturally and politically by those ‘native’ to the countries of destination” (Tupas, 2002, p. 252).

On the other side of the coin, a lot of us view English language as the language of success. As evident, a lot of workplaces are looking for potential workers who are capable of speaking the English language fluently and accurately. This idea is evident on the thinking of Hector and Maja, who think that if their children can speak English, and will be educated in private schools where English is used as medium of instructions, then their success is within reach. In a highly globalized world where the need to communicate in the global language is crucial, people are doing their best to acquire the necessary skills in English language. As we know, Koreans, for instance, are flocking in the Philippines to make them adept in the English language. When I interviewed ten (10) Koreans as to what are their reasons for coming to the Philippines, majority of them said that they want to learn how to speak English. Given that Filipino English teachers are well-equipped with the necessary skills to teach the English language, these foreign students are choosing the Philippines, which for them, a very good place to improve their communication skills in the target language (English). Aside from the fact that commodities, transportation fees, tuition fees, accommodation, etc are cheaper as compared to native English speaking countries, Filipino teachers are very much willing to extend their time( sometimes going beyond the call of their duty) just help these foreign students acquire the necessary skills. One of my students commented” I like it here in the Philippines because teachers are very approachable, friendly, willing to extend their time, and very good English speakers”. Given this, the issue of being not native English speakers of the Filipino teachers is another point. As what I have mentioned in my previous post, native English teachers, and non-native English teachers, both share their strengths which contribute to the learning of the students. Each of these teachers approaches the lessons in a way which will target the diverse needs of the students.

I have gone through the 8 units of the modules. The lessons here introduced me to different language theories and philosophies, strategies on second language teaching, problems in second language teaching, and other issues concerning second language teaching. Of all these lessons, I am hooked on the Current Issues in Second Language Teaching (which is comprised of different sub-topics like Standard and Nativeness, Language vs. Dialect, Age and Second Language Learning, Linguistic Human Rights, and The Center Periphery relation. As an English teacher myself, the topics here helped to better understand the nature of my teaching career, understand the behavior of my students, and of course, give me insights as how to improve my teaching methodology in relation to the level of my students.

Generally, the modules (and this class itself) shaped me to become a better English teacher. The invaluable lessons and discussion (also that of my classmates) have provided me with different ideas and insights which I can surely utilize in my very own classroom. As we say, “theory explains practice”. All of the second language teaching theories I have studied here will surely guide me, and help me improve myself as an English teacher.

REFERENCES:

Echevarria, J. and Graves, A.(2003). Heltered Content Instruction: Teaching English-Language Learners with Diverse Abilities.USA: Pearson Education,Inc.

Diaz-Rico,L. and Weed, K. (1995). The Crosscultural, Language, and Academic Development Handbook: A Complete K-12 Reference Guide. Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon.

Tupas, T.R (2002). Second Language Teaching. Philippines: UP Open University.

Victorian Government: Understanding the Needs of Students from Low Socio-Economic Backgrounds. (n.d).Retrieved September 1, 2011 from http://www.education.vic.gov.au/management/schooloperations/equity/disadvantage.htm

Psychology Society: Language Development and Socioeconomic Status. (n.d). Retrieved September 1, 2011, from http://jottedlines.com/psychology/language-development-and-socioeconomic-status/