Humanising Language Teaching
Year 1; Issue 2; April 1999
Apprendre les languages etrangeres autrement Feb 99
The French State takes the teaching of French abroad very seriously and Le francais dans le monde is a French foreign ministry publication for teachers of French round the globe.
The current issue deals with non-conventional ways of teaching language and carries articles on the following topics:
Do the "humanistic" approaches partake of Yokum's error- a personal opinion by Earl Stevick
The humanistic teacher- sketch towards a portrait by Barbara Glowacka
A Neuro-Science point of view- interview with Christophe Pallier
Suggestopedia in three languages by Liberman, Matsumoto and Loriot
NLP and the politics of Experience by Frit and Frit
Anxiety and teaching the spoken language by Martin Beaudoin
The hypotheses underlying language psychodramaturgy by Bernard Dufeu, author of Teaching Myself, OUP, l994. (The publisher has recently put this title, the best methodology book of the 90's, so far, out-of-print).
Cooperative learning- a challenge to language teachers by Lucilla Lopriore
A semiotic angle- conversation with Denis Bertrand
Global simulations by Jean Marc Care
Besides these main articles (and I have given just over half of them above) there are two brilliant "shorties".
The first is on the methods used by Napoleon on St Helena Island to learn the English that he at first so much abominated. Interesting to see a genius cope with a chore.
The second is headed, in French, "La Dictee cent fautes." "Sans" means "without" and "cent", which is homophonous with "sans", means one hundred, so "dictation without mistakes" becomes "Dictation l00 mistakes". In this technique, if the teacher dictates
"You are one of my eight best mates and I love you all equally"
the student has to mis-interpret as many words as she can but each time come up with a real homophone eg:
"Yew are won of my ate best mates an dye love ewe all equally"
If you read French even a bit, don't miss this issue.
SAFETY AND CHALLENGE FOR JAPANESE LEARNERS OF ENGLISH
by Peta Gray and Sue Leather, Delta Publishing
(with English Teaching professional)
March l999. £8.50 (UK pounds)
If you have difficulty in obtaining a copy, contact delta@deltabooks.co.uk
The authors ask:
"What do non-Japanese teachers find challenging about teaching Japanese learners?
long pauses before answering a teacher question
lack of eye contact
long silences
not initiating
very quiet voicing that is hard to hear
consulting with class mates before answering
- insistence on accuracy
These features can be extremely frustrating for teachers, but only because of the cultural expectations they have."
Sue and Peta's book aims to help non-Japanese teachers to first understand then deal with and finally empathise with the way Japanese learners tick. The book aims to help teachers get into rhythm with their Japanese learners but then to help the students to modify their behaviour enough to swim when they are with non-Japanese they meet via English.
The exercises in the books are marked in terms of risk for people from Japan:
high safety
- safety and challenge equally balancedhigh challenge.
Do you teach Indonesia Bahasa to Japanese people?
Ensenya Vd E.L.E y hay japoneses silencios en la ultima fila?
Vous enseignez le F.L.E. et ces japonais n'ouvrent pas la bouche…?
Well, whichever language you are teaching to folk from Kobe, Osaka or Tokyo this is a book that will bring you understanding and solace.
Dear Publisher,
How about similar books for understanding, loving and coping with ourselves when we meet Brazilian students, German students, or Finnish students?
This book is the first in a series…… or is it? Do only the Japanese worry EFLers enough and bring enough money to EFL schools to provoke books respectful of their culture?