Dear FLE 324 members,
Taking into consideration the class discussions we had on the article called "the Goals of ELT" by Cook (2007), please write a reflection paper by making comments on various perspectives taken by the author making references to the following points:
a)your position concerning the adoption of the native speaker or a multicompetent L2 user as a goal to pursue in an EFL class.
b)the position that you have adopted from each of the following perspectives:
i) prospective EFL teacher,
ii)an EFL learner at different levels of proficiency in English,
iii) an EFL user at different levels of proficiency in English,
iii)the aims of instruction.
While writing your reflection paper, you need to clearly state both the author's perspective and your own perspective, do a critical appraisal of the author's views,indicating where you agree and disagree with the author's ideas.
The length of the reflection paper should be between 1.5-2 pages (1.5 spacing)
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“The Goals of ELT” by Cook (2007)
ReplyDeleteWhether the native speaker or multi- dimensional L2 user should be adopted as the goal of language teaching has been a controversial issue. While some ELT experts and teachers think that students should have the aim of achieving to be best which means sounding like a native speaker, others proposes that it is not meaningful to set a goal which can be never achieved.
As Cook (2007) stated in the article that the adoption of native speaker as a goal is somehow unachievable for most of the students because aiming to make them alike native speakers is nothing but trying to make them what they are not. He also suggests that judging the students by comparing them with what they are not and can never become creates pressure on them. At this point, I agree with the author’s ideas because I think it is not obligatory to sound like a native speaker and as teacher we shouldn’t force our students to be a native like. Thus, it sounds more logical to adopt L2 user as the goal of language teaching. It is better to develop students’ language skills in accordance with their goals in learning the language. I mean, if they want to learn language just to travel in the native country, they don’t have to be like native speakers.
However, as a prospective English teacher, I think language teachers should improve themselves to be a best model to their students. This being a best model to the students issue may require teachers to be a native like but this shouldn’t create pressure on them and we shouldn’t force them to be native like. In EFL context, for most of the students, classroom is the only place where they hear English, and the teacher is the only person from whom they hear English. To be their only opportunity makes us the responsible for providing them with the most authentic language especially in terms of pronunciation.
In short, I look at this controversial issue from two different perspectives: from learners’ and from English teachers’. From the latter perspective, I think English teachers can be trained to be native like speakers of English because they will be models for the students; and from the learners’ perspective, what is suitable in language teaching is to shape our goal in accordance with their goals. If they want to be native like, we should be able to respond their goal but if they don’t, we shouldn’t force them to sound like native speakers.
For some people goal of the English Language teaching is to make students like native speakers. Students are seen as successfull learners if they sound like native speakers. Therefore teachers who are native speakers are thought as best teachers. However; I believe that second language learners should have teachers who are second language users. Second language users who have the same native language with students can understand them, know their native languages and in what ways English differs from their native language. Moreover; students who have second language user teachers can be relax and more willing to speak in class. Native speaker teachers can create anxiety on learners.
ReplyDeleteEveryone is a member of a particular national group. To force students to speak like native speakers can create frustration on learners, especially if the teacher is a native speaker.
English is used all over the world for communication. In fact the majority of communication in English doesn’t involve native speakers. English is a useful lingua franca for most of the people in the world. Many second language users speak to people who are not native speakers.
I think instead of a native speaker a second language user should be shown as a model to learners, beacuse second language users have different uses of language from monolinguals. One of them is translation. Translation is an everyday activity for many second language users. Another distinctive second language use of language is code switching.
Moreover; as being a native like speaker can be seen as an unattainable goal, this can create frastration and learners can have low motivation for learning language.
For an EFL learner at different levels of proficiency in English and an EFL user at different levels of proficiency in English a second language user can be a model. However; for the aims of instruction the model for learners can change.
In this endless debate, I feel myself much closer to the native like speaker in language learning. As a future teacher, I want to do my best in classes, I want to teach the best I can to my students. My first aim is to prepare them as native like speakers in English. However, some believe that the idea of being like a native speaker is not poassible. As one of the supporters, Cook says briefly that do not wate your time on making your students try to be alike native speakers because they are not. I agree with him that students who are learning English as a foreign language or second language are not native speakers. Most probably a lot of people believe that only the using L2 in a certain degree is enough. I am thinking more expand in this issue. For a certain communication, yes it is enough to have L2 competency, but if some one is learning a language, it means that s/he is also living the language. In this spot learners are competing with themselves. They may be speaking the L2 very clearly and effectively, but they try to be better.
ReplyDeleteBy stating my own perspective, I do not want to be misunderstood. Choosing the best may be harder goal does not mean that students need to be native like speakers. They can use L2 in a smooth way, but they do not have to sound native like. As a teacher, I want to be the best model for my students. In addition when I think the circumstances that we are in, environemntal support is also not enough for our students to be native like. It is a long term battle for most of second learners to be native like though.
English is a language that has become very popular in recent years as we all know. We became part of it; it became part of our life. Everyone has to learn it now because it has become a requirement. As the writer states, all English learners have different aims for learning and the writer gives them under two titles: external and internal goals. While external goals are related to use of language by students outside the classroom such as traveling, reading books in another language while the internal ones are about mental development of themselves including approaching language in a different way, being better citizens etc.
ReplyDeleteLooking at those external and internal goals in detail, we see that external goals have dominated language teaching methodologies in last years. As the people’s angles change, their aims change and automatically this affects the way English is taught in EFL classes. Whether a teacher should take creating a native speaker or a competent L2 user as a target in EFL teaching becomes the main question and creates an endless debate. In my opinion, there is no need to make this debate endless because it is very wrong to judge an L2 user compared to native speaker. According to ones believing in taking native speaker as target, students should be judged on success according to how close they resemble native speaker. The author says that it is acceptable for a speaker to sound as if he/she comes from London but not from Paris. I agree because we don’t have to be like a native speaker, we live in a different country, we have different mother tongue, and we have different sound system so the concept of native speaker has little meaning for an L2 user. It is impossible for L2 learner to become a native speaker. For this reason setting a goal like this is discouraging for the learner.
As a prospective EFL teacher, I don’t approve such a goal in my classes, as I stated above it is very discouraging and we are Turks, we can have Turkish accent. By saying these, I don’t mean that I will not teach the correct pronunciation. Of course my aim will be this but setting such a goal is meaningless for everyone who lives in a place different from the places where English is spoken as a native language. For an EFL user, it is unachievable to become a native speaker as the writer suggests. I think ‘using EFL’, in other words buying a book, asking questions, asking addresses, means conveying the message that he/she wants to convey. This is the important thing and this should be the aim of an EFL user. Moreover, writer says that language teaching should emphasize internal, not just external, educational goals for the individual L2 user. This is also an important point since it makes easier to learn and to reach the aim. When we think about an EFL leaner that is different from EFL user, we should aim at creating competent L2 learners because if we do this, automatically it means that the learners have the capacity to learn the language themselves in every branch i.e. writing, reading, listening, speaking. They can improve themselves gradually, that is the aim of learning. Also the aim of instruction should be creating competent L2 user as it gives the one that the learner need actually. If the teacher aims at reachable target, then the teaching gains meaning for both teacher and the learner.
Reflection on “The Goals of ELT” by Cook
ReplyDeleteAs known, English has become a lingua franca. It is a worldwide language and everyone is trying to learn the language. However, not all people learning English have the same purpose as the writer states in the article. Some people want to learn it for travel, some for business and etc. As everybody is trying to learn English for some different purposes, the question comes as whether the goal should be like a native speaker or a competent L2 user. This question has become a controversial issue and people parted to two sides: one side argues that learners’ aim should be to sound like a native speaker and the other side argues that instead of trying to be sound like a native speaker, they should try to be a competent L2 user. In my opinion, the aim of the learners is influential in this issue. Why are they learning English? I mean, for example, there are people who want to learn English just for passing an exam. So, these people certainly will not want to focus on being a native like speaker. So, the aim of the learner is important in this aspect.
As a prospective EFL teacher, in my opinion, we should be like a native speaker because we are the models for our students. We should do our best to sound like a native speaker. However, as a prospective English teacher, I do not want to set a goal as my students should be sound like native speakers because this will be discouraging for the learners. In my opinion, the first thing should be to encourage and help students to be able to speak in English in class and if there is set a goal like sounding like a native speaker then it will be impossible. The students will be passive and silent. However, at first if we can help our students to be able to speak in English I think they will automatically want to improve themselves and even they will themselves want to sound like native speakers. So, as future teachers, we should be encouraging and motivating our students to do their best. Even, at the very beginning if we set a goal like this, it will be irritating for some students and they will not want to learn.
Another point I want to state is that first of all it is important to convey your message. If you can manage to communicate with people then being like a native speaker is not so influential. The important thing is being fluent and accurate and this can be managed by being a competent L2 user. As I stated before, the learners can improve themselves step by step if we do not force them at the very beginning. The aim of the instruction should be to help learners be accurate and fluent in the language and be able to convey their messages and setting goals that the learners will be able to achieve.
As language teachers, we will meet different types of students in our teaching life. As themselves, the students’ aims will also be different from each other. Some may want to learn another language just to live in another city or some other for their jobs. No matter how different the aim is, our aim is the same that is teaching English to our students. Cook (2007) points out some important goal to learn English in terms of students and I totally agree that the students’ goals are very different. There are some external goals as using the language, in shops in travelling or reading books etc. They are the things that we the students are doing out of class. The other goals are internal ones that the language is related to the students’ mental development as individuals. According to the goal of the student ‘competence’,’proficiency’ and ‘knowledge of the language’ become important. While teaching/learning English, it has been a very controversial issue that teaching (in terms of teachers) /learning (in terms of students) English as native-like or not. In the article Cook (2007) states that our main goal as teaching English as native-like does not seem very achievable since the learners have not already been the native speakers of the language. At that point, I definitely agree with the author because there is no need to make the things harder for the learners and also for ourselves. I think to teach native-like English first of all we need to improve our English (as teachers). Without any native-like input given to the students by the teachers, it is definitely very hard and illogical to expect our students to have native-like English. The instructions that the teacher is using are very important to give an idea about the language to the learners. Sometimes the classroom is the basic and primary environment that the students start to learn a language so that the teacher should be careful with instruction. They should facilitate the students’ learning. Also for native-like English, the learners need to be exposed to the language in their social life, too. In our situation while living in Turkey, they may not get a chance to have conversations in English very often. Therefore, we need to pay attention to this type of things that have an influence our teaching/learning process.
ReplyDelete“The Goals of ELT” by Cook (2007)
ReplyDeleteFirstly I want to state that author’s view are close to the modern ideas of teaching English and his approach is quite sensible. He explores the reasons of why students want to learn English in his review of literature. He states that students answers that questions saying 'For my future career', 'Because I like the language', 'To travel in different countries', 'To have a better understanding of the way of life in the country or countries where it is spoken', and 'Because I would like to live in the country where it is spoken'. These ideas are valid in Turkey as well. When I first started to learn English, German and Italian, my motivation was also to find a good job, to travel to that country and to have a better insight into different cultures. This was valid for especially for Italian. Cook makes a list of goals of language teaching and this list includes; self-development, a method of training new cognitive processes, a way-in to the mother-tongue, an entrée to another culture, a form of religious observance, a means of communicating with those who speak another language, the promotion of intercultural understanding and peace. In my opinion this list is important because it provides a better understanding for teachers when they are trying to motivate students for learning English (or any other language). Cook(2007) categorizes these goals as external and internal goals. External goals relate to the students' use of language outside the classroom: travelling about using the second language in shops and trains, reading books in another language or attending lectures in a different country, surviving as refugees in a strange new world. Internal goals relate to the students' mental development as individuals; they may think differently, approach language in a different way, be better citizens, because of the effects that the second language has on their minds. So-called traditional language teaching often stressed the internal goals: learning Latin trained the brain; studying L2 literature heightened people's cultural awareness. I like the way the writer organize the ideas. He really clarifies the issue from a student perspective. He says that ultimate goal of language teaching is to make students native-like. Although this is a very challenging goal, I agree with Cook. As teachers, we should help our students to be a native speaker of the target language. Thus, they can attain their external and internal goals. However, I believe making students like bilinguals is too challenging. We may not achieve it and forcing students too much may result negative feelings towards English. I think we should expose them to language via various ways and let them explore the language. However, we shouldn’t expect too much for them. They will gain competency in the target language with the exposure but expecting from them to be like speaker’s in BBC is too much.
The goals of ELT seems to be an everlasting subject to numerous debates over decades. As stated in Vivian Cook’s article, people prefer to make a distiction dividing these goals in two dimensions such as internal and external goals. Whether internal or external, in my opinion, the main purpose of learning a language is for the sake of communication or communicating in that language. Learning the langauage to emigrate (which is an external goal), or learning it to understand (rediscover) L1 better (which is an internal goal) meet on the same point. Whatever the goal is, when we learn a language, we must use it if we want to talk about “language learning”. We should perform some performance as a proof that we have developed some competence.
ReplyDeleteTwo different approach come out to establish this competence in learners. One claims that that the ultimate goal of ELT is to help learners sound like native speakers while another one claims that teachers should grow up learners as competent L2 users. Both explain the rationale between their claims but I think we do not need any of these discussions.
I have one question in my mind: how do we teach a language? The answer I find is that we use the forms, sounds and the culture that the native speakers have. This is what makes a language unique. Thus, instead of focusing on how our learners should be, we should be elaborating on what models we should make for our learners. It is obvious that it is too much to expect a native like fluency or accuracy from our learners and it would be just utopic to expect this to happen in a short period of time. But it is never impossible, I believe. And it is only possible if we can be a native like models for them as much as possible. The term native like here does not cover just pronunciation aspect but all aspects of language.
I find it useful to use one base, that competent L2 users approach has, against them. They claim that L2 learners does not have the same congnitive deficits of monolinguals. It was even discussed above that L2 helps one improve the understanding of his L1. So, while L2 learners have such an advantadge, why not use it? Modelling our learners as natives would give them more chances to observe the target language and would be a more effective way to teach a language.
We can sum up all these ideas as follows: as prospective teachers, our ultimate goal in ELT should be being the best that we can, giving them chances to see/ expose the language as authentically as possible. I find this possible only through being a native like model for my students. However, I want to make it clear that I do not expect the same perfection from them. So, I would not grade them low in case they do not have a native like pronunciation or in case they cannot use idioms like a native speaker. But I find it crucial that I have all of these qualitifications since I am the most important channel between them and the target language.
"the Goals of ELT" by Cook (2007)
ReplyDeleteI would prefer an L2 user rather than a native speaker actually. Since I think that a teacher who is going to teach a second language to his or her learners should have a good command of both languages. As all of us know there are some known difficulties for the members of a particular country like Turkish students have difficulties while learning past perfect or simple perfect tenses. So I believe that a teacher should be aware of that fact. A native speaker however does not know that kind of things. So here it is clear that rather than a native speaker having an L2 user seems more appropriate for the learners to have a good command of that foreign language. Being aware of those difficulties helps a lot both to the teacher and to the learners. Since teacher is aware of those difficulties she will try to come up with some solutions to teach that particular structure and it will accelerate the learning process. However as for a native speaker the situation will not be so easy again for both the teacher and the learners. Learners will have difficulty in learning that topic and the native teacher will not have any idea why they have so many difficulties to learn that topic. In that sense I agree with the writer.
I also agree with him that L2 users have inbetween two languages and the cultures. In other words while speaking they are being affected by the other language, its concepts, rules and culture. However I do not think that it is a bad thing. On the contrary it broadens the way of his-her thinking. Their minds are so different from monolinguals’. Since they have other grammar rules that do not exist for example in other language their way of comprehension is also different from other people. I see it as an advantage actually. To have control over two languages gives a lot to a person.
Prospective teacher is a future teacher and today in many countries have been lokking for as native speakers. An EFL learner at different levels of proficiency in English on the other hand actually is a learner who has some internal or external aims to learn the target language like learning that language for their career purposes or to integrate with the culture etc. Writer states that an EFL learner can become an EFL user. I completely agree on that issue. I believe that with wll planned curriculum and instruction it is possible for an ordinary EFL learner to become and efficient L2 user. What is an EFL user then. Actually it is a person who has good commands of both languages and who knows how to speak in what situations etc. Formal or informal language usage is not a problem for them. They are like bilinguals but the term bilingual is called for some different people so that is why they are called as L2 users. They have control over both languages not only grammar of those languages but also pragmatics usages discourse and so on. Their mind runs so differently from monolinguals’. Since in daily life they always tend to switch from one language to the other their usage of even their native language also becomes different from other monolingual natives’. I think it not bad just the contrary it increases their capacity of comprehension.
So in the article it says that the aims of instruction should be to help EFL learners become efficient L2 users which I agree on. To make it real it is necessary to make them have some internals goals towards to language learning and use different approaches. They should be familiar with all those internal goals so that they will become motivated .
Pelin Aşçıoğlu
ReplyDeleteReflection on “The Goals of ELT” by Cook
Today everyone accepts the fact that english is the language of
the masses although it does not have to be the native tongue of them.
And when it is the case, lots of people feel like they should learn this language, as a result
the responsibility and importance of English language teachers are increasing. As it is s
omething important, there are so many conflicts and
debates about the issue. There are so many different ideas about how a language
teacher should be, how this language should
be taught by them. We see so many people speaking bad English and as we will
be teaching this language, we should be concerned about this.
We should be aware of that we have to do our best to teach it in the best
way to prevent people from speking in a bad way.
My aim is to teach them speaking as a native like speaker. An I do not understand
why there are so many teachers thinking it is impossible and
it is enough for them to be successful L2 users. Maybe it is very difficult to speak
like an American or British, but people living in the
countries where the target language is spoken can easily adopt the accent, and it is
quite easy to travel to other countries today.
I also agree with people who say not everyone learns English with the same purposes.
But is it possible to learn it in the best way, I mean in the
closest way to the native speakers' style, why should not speak it like them? There are businessmen,
scientists, or celebirities and people like them for whom only being able to communicate will be enough in this language, but we
said English is the language of masses now, and it will continue being like that, and people should learn it
in tne best way they can do and teachers have to be models close to native like speaker.
Today, English is learned widely all around the world for different purposes. As Coleman stated, people need to learned it because they think that it is important for their future career or they like the language. On the other hand, they learn it to travel in different countries, to have a better understanding of the way of life in the country where it is spoken and finally they want to live in the country where it is spoken.
ReplyDeleteAcademically, education systems of every country want pupils to understand and appreciate different countries and their cultures and use the language in communicative situations.Due to all reasons given above, some people think that the very best learners should have native-like competence,but others consider that it is enough to be a competent L2 user. Actually, it changes according to the aim of learning the language. Maybe, some want to live in the country whose language is learned, so they should learn its language as a native-like speaker, but some people want to learn it for only business-like life, so they don't need to have this competence. As a language teacher, we shouldn't make our students feel oppressed about having native-like competence or accent because nobody can achieve to be a native speaker of another language, therefore, we must know their aims of learning L2 and according to these goals, we enable them to learn it as a native like speaker or only a competent L2 user.
Especially, in Turkey it is difficult to grow up a native-like speaker because neither our education system nor the competence of our EFL teachers allows it. In fact, we generally don't need to be a native-like speaker but at least in order to be a best user of L2, our style of teaching it and our coursebooks need to have a big change.
Cennet Kaycı
ReplyDeleteReflection on the article “The Goals of ELT” by Cook (2007)
As it is stated in the article “The Goals of ELT” by Cook (2007), there are different points of view on the issue of what the aim of teaching English should be. We can say that today, English is the lingua franca in the world. Lots of people learn English for several purposes. Some of these purposes can be listed as travel purposes, business related purposes, becoming aware of other languages, as a means of communication with the people who are speaking English, for education etc. These different aims require different competencies in English language. For instance, a person who learns English for the purpose of travelling does not have to be a native like speaker. I think it is enough for him/her to be able to communicate effectively with people. What is important in a communication is the message, in my opinion. If a person is able to make him/her understood by others, then s/he is an effective L2 user. Personally, I adopt the idea “language is for communication”. That’s why I say that being able to make one understood by others is enough in L2. However, as prospective English teachers, our aim should not just be “teaching to communicate” rather; we should aim to become good models for our students in terms of competency in English including all the aspects of a language. These aspects include the culture of the country where it is spoken as the native language, pronunciation of the words, the knowledge of vocabulary, linguistic features of the language, etc. In order to bring up competent L2 users, a teacher should have sufficient knowledge and skills in the language. S/he should respond to most of students’ needs. However, s/he does not need to force students to become like native speakers. S/he should do his/her best to help them gain the necessary language skills but there is no need to load extra burden on students by saying that “you should sound like natives”. I think the aim of the teacher is only to be a good model for the students.
In conclusion; from the users’ perspective, our purpose in learning a second language determines the qualifications that we need to have in that language. From teachers’ perspective, a teacher should be a very good model in terms of using the language competently (speaking, writing, etc.). It is the learners’ duty to make use of this language model in the classroom.
Today many people learn English for different purposes. While some of them learn it for education, some of them want to learn English to travel, to know different cultures, to meet people of this language, and for business and for pleasure. Everyone has specific purposes to learn English. So what are the goals of ELT? When we come to the goals of ELT, in the article there are different approaches: some supports that it is important to want students to be native-like speakers; on the other hand some supports that it is important to want students to be component L2 users. In education, the aim for teaching a language is making students being familiar with the language, its culture, and people talking this language and preparing for them communicative situations. Considering this kind of explanation, I think there is no need to want students to be like a native speaker. I think this kind of expectation would not be fair, because no one can be like native speaker. Students already have their own language and this language differs from many aspects of English such as sound system. As a prospective teacher I do not want my students to be native like speaker, I want them to use language accurately and fluently. For me the important things are conveying meaning, giving messages accurately and communicate well when needed. If I want my students to be native like speakers, this may discourage the learners. Of course not to discourage students I do not support the idea that I do not mind how my students use the language. As a prospective teacher, I want students to do their best and make them improve themselves as much as I can. At this point I want to add that; unfortunately, we see that there is no classroom environment in which students interact with each other, use target language and improve themselves in speaking and listening activities in Turkey. Also students need exposure to target language in their real life, but they have no such chance. As a prospective teacher, I want to create a classroom environment in which students are exposed to target language, use the language accurately and fluently, convey meaning and give messages accurately and be a component of L2.
ReplyDelete“The Goals of ELT” by Cook (2007)
ReplyDeleteThere has always been a debate over the goals of ELT whether producing native-like speakers or promoting second language users? In the article, the writer discussed this issue. It is emphasized that there are two goals of ELT; external goals and internal goals. As I understood from the descriptions, with the external goals, we aim to teach English for the usage outside the classroom. Internal goals are related to mental developments of the students. This means we make our students think in a way native people think. They acquire the language.
As an English teacher, I support the internal goals of ELT. Since we not only aim to teach English just for outside the classroom, but also we want our students to be able to think as native speakers. Since knowing English does not mean that you just know the rules of the language. We somehow should be able to think in the language.
There are different goals of language teaching: self-development, a method of training new cognitive process, a way in to the mother tongue, a form of religious observance, a means of communicating with those who speak another language, the promotion of intercultural understanding and peace. However, none of these goals state the learners should get close to native speakers. Many of them may be achieved without actually learning the new language.
In the article, the writer has stated that external goals try to make students get close to native speakers. Students are judged on success according to how close they resemble native speakers. Therefore, a student should be competent, proficient as a native speaker. Also, the best teacher is a native speaker who can represent the target the students are trying to emulate. As an English teacher, I don’t agree with this idea. Of course, a teacher should try to be as competent as a native speaker of that language, but the ones who are not native speakers cannot teach the language is a misconception.
Another point is that we want our students to be like native-speakers but this should not create a pressure on them. We try to do everything to make them proficient language learners. At the beginning, I said that internal goals are more important that external goals. However, it is hard to achieve them. At least you may have to live in the country where the target language is spoken to gain the language awareness of the language.
Many L2 users in the world are not native speakers. There are more people who use English as a foreign language than those who are native speakers. L2 learners are different from L2 users. L2 learners acquire the language for use; on the other hand, L2 users use linguistic resources for real-life purpose, for instance ordering a CD on the internet, translating a letter.
As a sum up, it is hard to be like native-speaker but it is not impossible. We try to be as competent and proficient as native speakers as English teachers. However, it is not an easy job. Also we try to make our students proficient language users in the target language.
Kadriye AKSOY
Cook (2007) states his ideas in a parallel way with the post-modern era of English Language Teaching. While the author is indicating his literature review, he puts forward some reasons of students to learn English. Those are most about future plans, travelling, academic targets, being willing to live abroad, etc. Actually when we look at ourselves, the case is almost the same. And as the future teachers, we will meet tones of different students and each one of them will have various aims and reasons to learn English.
ReplyDeleteThese goals may be external or internal according to the motivation of the learner. External goals are generally about the issues of travelling, using the language effectively in daily life or being able to read books or magazines in the target language. These are all about the stuff that is out of the classroom. When it comes to the internal goals, they are mostly in relation with the competent language usage, fluency or proficiency. So, in between this controversy of teaching and learning aspects, it is a rising problem – English for competency or English for being native-like.
As prospective English teachers, we should be the models for the students all the time, for that to be able to happen, we should be improving our pronunciation and our proficiency continuously. We may not reach the level of native speakers ever, but if we aim at that level, we can always be in progress and development. Otherwise, just accepting the situation and staying at where we are all the time, would not help a teacher to be an ideal one.
For the first years of their English-learning experiences, the students may not be under pressure of being a native like speaker. However, as the time passes and as they change their perspective through language learning, we can encourage them to be native like speakers and actually native like competent learners - as everything is not just about productive skills but also the competency of the stated knowledge.
Sözen Özkan
The Goals of ELT by Cook (2007)
ReplyDeleteIn this article by Cook it is mentioned that language learning is a process during which the learner gain some abilities and tendencies toward the target language. In this process, it is mainly stressed in the article, the L2 learner should not be expected to be native-like speakers or users of that language. There is a series of features of L2 users explaining the characteristics of them. The author categorizes the goals of language teaching as internal and external goals. By referring to these goals he tries to create an L2 user concept in the readers’ mind.
As for my perspectives as a prospective teacher, I think language learning really has too many goals, advantages, facilities, etc. As the author mentions, the student becomes in some way a better person through learning another language. It means, s/he gains self-development by endeavoring for a language and ending up with a good job. It also helps the learner to be more sociable. It contributes to the cognitive development of the learner in the sense of adding wholly new linguistic items to the memory. It helps the learner to have an understanding of the other cultures. In addition, I totally agree with the author in terms of categorizing the goals as internal and external ones. If we, as (prospective) teachers, know the features of the L2 learners and help them set proper goals, it will be easier both teaching and learning the target language. I believe that the learners are free to set goals for themselves (internal ones) and the teacher is supposed to help him/her determine the external ones and to achieve them both. There is no rule saying each learner of L2 should be successful at the same level and they should be native-like in all parts (speaking, writing, etc.) The teacher should provide the learner with the opportunity to determine what s/he wants; there is no need to try to make the learner native-like unless s/he aims to. As teachers we should be native-like because we are the only appropriate models for our students and do this in the best way.
As an L2 learner, I have parallel ideas to my perspectives as a prospective teacher. As Labov (1969) mentioned, L2 users are different kinds of people from monolingual native speakers and need to be evaluated as people using two languages not as inefficient natives. As a L2 user I have different kind mind, commands of first and second languages and usages of L2 from monolingual natives. So, I have the freedom of accepting these features as my own and there is no need to look like the natives and compare myself to them. If I really want to speak, write, read and behave like natives, I set my goals in accordance with these desires and try to do my best.
In short, learning and teaching a second language requires some efforts and everybody needs to feel success. However, there are some limits while determining the levels of goals and success.
In the contemporary world, everyone is trying to learn English for lots of different reasons, such as self-development, communication with foreigners, travelling, learning new cultures, getting a job and having a better career. Vivian Cook suggests that these goals of language teaching are divided into two: internal and external goals. External goals are about using the language outside the classroom and internal goals are about educational aims. I personally think learners who have external goals are much more successful because they are much more motivated. This kind of a motivation can improve the learners' linguistic abilities; but when it comes to being native-like, it is too difficult for Turkish learners of English, because in our education system, we lack in conditions in which we can provide our students with opportunities to communicate, speak and use the language which we taught in our classrooms. So setting a goal of being a native-like speaker is not so logical and applicable in Turkey's conditions. If we look at the perspective of language acquisition; s we have been taught in our language acquisition courses, being a native like speaker is impossible. Even if it were possible, this kind of a goal is higher than our students can achieve in these circumstances as we can not make our students be exposed to English outside the classroom and being exposed to a language in only a limited time is not enough to acquire this language. This very challenging goal may create a stress on the students and this anxiety and frustration decrease their motivation, the learning and success. In addition, I do not think being a native speaker of English is necessary. It is a common language which is used all over the world by people who want to communicate. Since it is lingua franca, most of the English speaking people are not native speakers. So being native-like is not so important, what we need is trying to improve our students as speakers of English as a second language. I think being accurate and fluent in English is enough for communication which is everybody's basic aim at learning English.
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