| . |
. |
. |
|
The Myths
and the Practical Needs of Using L1 in EFL Classes
|
|
|
A
Learner Training Experiment
|
|
|
L1 in EFL: From tradition to trends
|
|
|
The objective of this article is to describe an
experiment carried out at ABA (AssociaOao Brasil America, Recife) that may ignite the fire
of discussion about an issue that already had seemed to be extinguished: What is the role
of L1 (Portuguese) in EFL Teaching? How can we use L1 in a productive manner? Do beginners
need L1 in their classes?
|
|
|
As TESOL theory evolves, views concerning the
use of L1 in EFL classes have changed considerably. Dialectically, each successive trend
in EFL seems to reject previous practices.
|
|
|
At this point, comprehensive radical changes in
TEFL seem to have ended; and as we become more realistic about the needs of our students
with language acquisition, we understand that preconceived ideas are no substitute for
systematic and open-ended inquiry and research.
|
|
|
I have been working with teenaged beginning
students in EFL for years, and have found them to be sensitive and sincere. Revealingly,
all my first-stage groups have strongly complained about my speaking only in English from
the start of our contact. And-it is a bit difficult to admit-I had always been rather
proud of limiting the classroom language to English only, since teaching English through
English was/is one of the foundations of my TEFL belief system, only flexibly so.
|
|
|
Last semester, I started questioning whether my
beginner students were merely behaving like whiners -as I think I had assumed until
then-or they were honestly complaining about something that could be changed to enhance
their learning. Were their learner rights being fully respected?
|
|
|
With that concern in mind, I decided to try out
a new way of dealing with this issue. At first, my idea was to raise the students'
commitment to maximizing the use of English in class. So I planned a detailed first day of
class discussion about this particular matter. As a follow up, they would sign a contract
agreeing to speak only in English. (Very naive indeed!)
|
|
|
I prepared myself to defend my point of view as
if I were a skilled salesperson trying to convince his consumers to buy an unwanted
product. I listed the pros of teaching English through English, I prepared good responses
for each possible question they might ask-in short, I equipped myself for that first day
of class as I had never done before.
|
|
|
After I had monopolized the discussion for about
twenty minutes, one of the students-a thirteen year-old girl-suggested that they should
have the right to speak Portuguese at least half of the class time. Her point was that
since they were beginners, it would not be fair to impose such "restriction upon
communication freedom," as she so aptly put it. I could feel that it would not be so
easy to talk that girl into speaking less, and in a limited way in English, when she could
communicate important ideas fluently in her native language.
|
|
|
From that point on, I started negotiating. We
ended up by agreeing to allow five minutes for Portuguese in each class. They seemed to be
content with that.
|
|
|
So, after that tough day of negotiation, my
lesson plans gained one more step: (besides the warmup, presentation, practice, etc.) now
we had five minutes of Portuguese, or "The Portuguese Break" (PB), as we decided
to call it. The next question to arise was, should we have our PB in the beginning,
middle, or end of the lesson? To make things simpler, we cooperatively decided that it
would occupy the last five minutes of each class. Actually, this changed many times. One
day, the PB might appear at the end of class; another day at the middle or beginning,
according to our needs. We ended up making visual signs (green and red) to indicate the
beginning and the end of the "Portuguese Break."
|
|
|
A technique that pays off!
|
|
|
From the first time we had our PB, I could
notice its dramatic impact on lowering my students' affective filter. In fact, they
established a very close relationship with me in the first week of class. Their social
skills were visibly enhanced. After two or three sessions, they were already working as a
group. Another outstanding characteristic of the PB technique came to light: it stimulated
my students to engage in a spontaneous process of self evaluation. During PB time they
talked about their performance, asked questions about communication problems, and
monitored their development. Better than that, they paved the way for my daily evaluation
of their performance and mine as well.
|
|
|
Then, I realized that a very powerful
pedagogical instrument had fallen in my lap. I had accidentally come across an easy and
effective manner not only to evaluate my students every class, but especially to foster
awareness of the Language Learning/Teaching process. At the same time, the use of the PB
technique helped me keep up their level of motivation, self esteem and interest toward the
new language they were learning.
|
|
|
I recognized the need to investigate the pros
and cons of this technique as a means of enhancing my teaching performance. I was sure
that there were some questions that should be researched and analyzed. My first idea was
to emphasize the learner training aspects of the Portuguese break and see how my students
would respond. So, I conducted our PB conversations by using questions and statements
highlighting their learning skills, strategies, and potentials.
|
|
|
I was impressed with the outcome. They sharpened
their perception and started thinking about how they could improve their performance. Very
soon, learner training terminology like, skills, strategies, vocabulary acquisition
, became part of their hall chitchat.
|
|
|
By observing their keen interest in
understanding more about the language learning process, I felt encouraged to start giving
them more information about the teaching process. So, during our PB talks, I started
telling them about my ideas and goals for that class. Little by little, our conversation
evolved to more focused points: The steps of each lesson plan; what teachers expect their
pupils to do in each stage of the class; how teachers correct students' mistakes, etc.
|
|
|
Moreover, after a couple of weeks I was showing
them my lesson plans and explaining each step and its importance for the success of the
class.
|
|
|
Again, their response was startling. Once they
had a better understanding of the learning/teaching process, they began to see how each
simple class exercise or homework assignment was important for their improvement. They
became much more responsible and critical about our (teacher's and students')
performances. Their values changed a lot, too. They could tell a useful activity from one
that was not. Since they were more aware about the challenges of learning a new language,
they could understand their friends' difficulties more easily and thus show more
willingness to help one another. They built a respectful classroom atmosphere in which
peer correction and self evaluation were much more than fashionable theoretical concepts.
|
|
|
When the semester was over, I started assessing
the effects of the "Portuguese Breaks." I could see how they facilitated the
achievement of our goals; how things looked simpler and easier; how our classes became
more lively and truly humanizing; how my students became more disciplined, competent, and
responsible learners; how they developed their critical thinking and socializing skills;
how they became less dependent on translation; and, surprisingly, how the importance of
speaking English in class was valued.
|
|
|
Now I am convinced that the crucial issue is not
the amount of L1 that is used in an EFL class, but the purpose for using it. I, myself,
found a way of capitalizing on Portuguese in my classes. Talking about the language
learning/teaching process has always been a fundamental component of my teaching style,
and it was rather difficult to do with beginners if I spoke only English.
|
|
|
Feedback for enlightened decision-making
|
|
|
Today's ESOL teachers are more conscious about
what should or should not be done in class and why. Gone are the days of magic recipes.
|
|
|
Professor Francisco Gomes de Matos, who inspired
and assisted with this article, has advocated the importance of sharing our classroom
decision making with our students in order to foster a humanizing environment where
cooperative learning and personal growth germinate. Accordingly, an initial open- ended
checklist for helping colleagues reflect on the way in which they have dealt with the use
of L1 in their classes is suggested:
|
|
|
- Have I ever questioned why my students should/should not have the right to use their
native language in class?
- Have I been biased regarding the use of L1 in class ?
- What have I done so far to deal with students speaking L1 in class?
- Have I ever used a technique (like Portuguese Breaks) before? If so, what happened? Why?
- Have I searched for creative, humanizing solutions to this problem?
- What have I done to exercise my classroom negotiating skills and strategies?
|
|
|
We would be pleased to hear from colleagues who
have come up with other ways of using L1 fruitfully. Obrigado!
|
|
|
. |
. |