ENGLISH 305 – TEACHING AND TESTING ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

ENGLISH 305 – TEACHING AND TESTING ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

1.    What is the importance of studying Teaching and Testing English as a Second Language in your task as English Teacher? Explain through illustrations experienced in the field of teaching. (20 points)

The significance of studying this subject as an English Teacher:

Ø  It continuously motivates me, improves my psycho-social cognition and stimulates my language creativity through the learning I had from the sharing, experiences and activities we had from this subject. As I further study on this subject, I started to see some connections I didn’t see before because every language teacher approaches the world of learning in a slightly different way. As a result, I had the opportunity to understand deeper the realm of teaching L2 from the perspective of my classmate-teachers and professor and gain a greater appreciation of L2. I think I was equipped and empowered to understand others’ point of views.

Ø  In my teaching, as I’m learning language teaching strategies and concepts about this subject, I am applying directly and indirectly certain techniques and theories aligned to the needs of my students as 21^st century learners thus, I am producing language activities and also a website about the subject to let my students browse, make an insight and learn from it as application and way-of-transfer of my learning.

2.    Discuss fully the difference between language proficiency and communicative competence in terms of first and second language acquisition research. (20 points)

Ø  Language Proficiency is how one use the language (as 2^nd language) as that of the native speakers or has a speaking ability equivalent to that of an educated native speaker--the L1 user while Communicative Competence is focus exclusively on the functional ability of using the language appropriately in different contexts of conversation as well as the ability to organize thoughts or meaning through language which is the 2^nd language end goal—to communicate appropriately across the globe competently.

3.    What are some major developments or key trends in Language Acquisition in the 21^st Century? Expound on your answer by providing illustrations to show these developments. (20 points)

Ø  In the twenty-first century, individualized instruction is becoming the norm.

-       Thus, mobile phone particularly the android or smart phones and some on-line platforms are the key trends in this generation. With our technology nowadays, with just a click or two on your smart/android phone or computer with your data, you can now sign-up or browse any sites and platforms if you desire to learn new language or continuously acquire further your first language. It is so amazing that thru mobile apps and on-line platforms, no need to sign up or enroll for 3-6 months language lesson in a language institution/school because of their personalized and adaptive content, constant feedback for progress, faster results and the live and on-demand tutoring characteristics based on the learning style and assessment of learning is aligned on the learning pace of every learner.

4.    Discuss one type of language problem that is most common in your work area. Think of one particular instance with a student and discuss how you usually deal with this problem. (20 points)

Ø  One of my students in one class of mine became overly dependent on me.

-       With this, I need to help him become more self-reliant and develop more trust in his own judgment by motivating him that language will be difficult only if he won’t focus. So, it required me to communicate to him my expectations first then set firm limits on our interactions; I just gave him the standards, rules, steps and techniques in learning the language as well as attention in ways that foster his independence towards the language and avoided interacting with him in ways that foster his dependence. Eventually, I paired him with a mature, responsible classmate, and told him to see his peer first when he needs help. This helped him a lot on his struggle.

5.     How important is second language acquisition for a child? How does the acquisition of a second language contribute to a child’s development? (20 points)

Ø  Most specially, in this millennial stage, second language acquisition for a child can provide cognitive development and social benefits. This helps the child expand his/her vocabulary and cognitive ability towards solving problems that requires understanding L2 also utilize L2 during their dealings/conversations with others more easily, open and confident because the more the child learn the second language, the more he/she understand further his/her first language.

-       Speaking from my experience, most of the time students’ success in school is strongly dependent on their proficiency in the language of instruction. This indicates that L2 has also an important role for the child development by building up their language skills in the school so that they can fully participate in the classroom activities and reap the most positive benefit from their educational experience. Hence, learning L2 is a significant skill or experience, especially to us Filipinos.