Wesleyan University - Philippines: The Graduate School Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija

Wesleyan University – Philippines
THE GRADUATE SCHOOL

Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija
MASTER OF EDUCATION IN LANGUAGE EDUCATION
NAME: DIANNE MAE G. DAGA
TASK 1
Discussion Questions:
1. What changes in approaches to language teaching have you experienced? What prompted
the changes you have witnessed?
Teaching is a dynamic process that necessitates rapid decision-making. Teaching

is also a term that refers to the requirements of pupils. The concept of "communicative
competence" – the ability to communicate effectively – has supplanted grammatical
precision as the primary objective of language instruction.
2. Have you ever been trained in or have or studied, the use of a ‘new” language teaching
method? What are your recollections of the experience? Has it had a lasting impact on
your approach to teaching?
Yes, I have been trained or studied the use of a new language teaching method.
The upshot of the inspired shift was a considerably more relaxed classroom setting with
activities tailored to the requirements of the pupils. Naturally, it took a considerable time
for this new approach to reach practical instructors who had been educated in the old
methods and were unwilling or unable to change. The communicative approach's ideals,
such as focusing on the requirements of each group of students rather than employing a
rigorous syllabus focused on grammar, and the popularity of information gap activities,
are still prevalent in language education today.
3. The goal of foreign language study is to learn a language a language in order to… benefit
from the mental discipline and intellectual development that result from foreign language
study” (p.6) What do you think are examples of this “mental discipline” and “intellectual
development” Are these relevant to language learning today?
According to the doctrine of mental discipline, education is a process of discipline

or training minds. Proponents of the doctrine believe that in this process mental faculties
are strengthened through exercise. These are relevant to language learning today hard.
Pupils struggle in their studies because it is impossible for the teacher to closely observe
their mental processes in order to determine what they require, or because he does not
know what they require if he can follow them, or because the pupil is in a class that is
moving faster than he is prepared to follow; in other words, the poorer the alignment of
means to ends in instruction, the better the discipline for the pupil's will. I truly believe
that there is some compensation to be found in the vast amount of poor teaching that
occurs in our institutions; however, I believe that there is just as much, and of a more
wholesome kind, discipline for the will in doing work that the student can do, and doing
more of it-using the will to keep up the pace, rather than struggling with difficulties that
are beyond one's ability.
4. Have you experienced grammar-translation instruction yourself? How was your

experience? Were there any aspects of it that you enjoyed or thought were useful for your
own teaching?
Yes, I have my own grammatical translation experience. Grammar, we feel, is the

most significant aspect of a language. Throughout high school, I had a number of English
instructors. In my perspective, there are both good and terrible ones. I had one specific
instructor who excelled at keeping the lessons entertaining.
We didn't concentrate on our speech abilities, but rather on grammar and vocabulary.
Every year, we were required to deliver at least one presentation, but we were not
required to practice our pronunciation. My favorite instructor usually spoke in English,
which was really beneficial to my language abilities.
It became beneficial for me since I would strive to make the language conscious through
poetry, stories, myths, essays, and other works.
5. Review the beliefs of Victor, Sweet and other reformers in the late nineteenth century
presented on page 10. To what extent do these differ from your own?
It was really different since in our country, we have a curriculum or syllabus that
dictates what we should teach over a given time period. Also, rather of waiting for them
to practice the grammatical points in context before introducing the rules of grammar,
students learn by doing.
6. Can you think of situations where the use of translation and a heavy reliance on the
learner’s first language can be fruitful?
As a language instructor, I had a natural aversion to the concept that translation

might help people improve their language skills. Not only had I been advised, as had
many others, that translation was poor language teaching practice and should be avoided
in the classroom, but that any usage of the mother tongue was also dubious. The latter
concept had always struck me as a less-than-interested hypothesis, especially when one
watched the large number of language teachers in one's immediate vicinity who did not
speak their pupils' native language.
7. What are some ways in which first and second language learning are similar? Top what
ways are they different?
Universal grammar may affect learning in both first and second language acquisition.
Universal grammar can impact learning in a second language, either directly or indirectly,
through the first language. There are predictable stages in both first and second language
learning, and certain structures are learned in a specific order. Individuals can progress
through these stages at their own pace, but they cannot skip any of them. Children spend
several years listening to language, babbling, and utilizing telegraphic speech before they
can construct sentences in first language acquisition. Learning is faster and people may
produce sentences in a shorter period of time in second language acquisition in older
learners. Learners who are older are able to engage greater metacognitive processes in
their formal second language acquisition. They can study and change grammatical
structures deliberately, as well as describe how language works precisely. This can help
you learn faster. Learners with greater life experience and background information bring
more life experience and background knowledge to their second language acquisition. To
assist children, learn the second language, they have additional schemata and learning
techniques.
8. The Coleman Report, published in 1929, recommended a focus on reading as the basis
of language instruction. In some countries today, language classes meet for only two or
three hours per week and most of the learners will not move or travel overseas. Could a
similar argument be made for a focus on reading skills?
The greatest method to develop your language abilities and become a competent
speaker with an emphasis on communication is to speak the language. When your
objective is to communicate with actual people in a foreign language, the most effective
and efficient strategies to speak as much as possible should be your first focus.
9. What do you think is the value of studying approaches and methods, including older and
more current ones? What factors contributed to the development of the methods era? Do
you perceive a Western bias in current approaches and methods that you are familiar
with?
A curriculum consists of various elements, including content, methodologies,

tools, and the teaching process. The curriculum is created in accordance with the
educational goals of the stakeholders, the environment, and the educational program. Of
course, techniques are important in a classroom context; nevertheless, their users must
examine the other aspects of the curriculum in a methodical manner since they are
connected in order to achieve the educational aim. Following the previous viewpoints, I
feel that the method's flexibility may be highlighted in terms of the teaching aim, taking
into account who the stakeholders (actors), where the setting is located, and what the
educational program is.

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Wesleyan University – Philippines

THE GRADUATE SCHOOL

MASTER OF EDUCATION IN LANGUAGE EDUCATION

NAME: DIANNE MAE G. DAGA

Teaching is a dynamic process that necessitates rapid decision-making. Teaching

According to the doctrine of mental discipline, education is a process of discipline

4. Have you experienced grammar-translation instruction yourself? How was your

Yes, I have my own grammatical translation experience. Grammar, we feel, is the

As a language instructor, I had a natural aversion to the concept that translation

A curriculum consists of various elements, including content, methodologies,

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