- What is ‘Language Lab’?
- How many of you have personal Language Lab in your homes?
- What is the difference between hard ware and soft ware?
- What are the skills necessary to use a language Lab?
- Can you use a radio or tape recorder as a Language Lab?
- What are the basic skills which can be taught in the Language Lab.?
- How can we use mobile phone as Language Lab?
- What are the facilities available in computer to be used as Language Lab?
- How can we promote fluency in English using Language Lab?
- What are the steps in preparing soft ware to be used in Language Lab?
- Can you convert English text books into soft ware?
- How will you guide your students to use the Language Lab?
- What is the cheapest Language lab available for students?
- Name a few electronic gadgets in the house which can be used as Language Lab?
- What is World-wide tutoring?
- What is a virtual class room?
- Explain: E-learning, online learning, digital learning, net learning, e-resources
- How can we improve the vocabulary of students?
- How can we improve the skill of listening through Language lab?
- What is the mother tongue influence in learning English?
- Which English is more important TE or SE?
- What are the difficulties faced by students in learning Spoken English?
- Can you teach Grammar using Language lab? How?
- How will you motivate your students to improve their self-learning?
- How can the students learn with speed using Language lab?
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Self-testing Questions about Language Laboratory
Some useful websites to learn English
Some useful websites to learn English
- Project Gutenberg
- Internet Archives
- Wikipedia
- Encyclopedia Britannica
- All types of dictionaries
- All news papers
- Blogs
- Trivia
- Questia
- Digital, online, Google, yahoo, Amazon.com e-books
- Children’s books
- British council Online Library
- You tube
- World wide School
- Bibliomania
- ERIC Journals
- Sacred books
- All types reference books like proverbs, quotations, jokes, myths
- All subject books
- All subject journal articles
- Pictures, photos
- World Public library
- World research Library
- Innovation.com
- ELT journals
- Net Forums
- Page by page
- Naukri.com
- Science Experiments
- Research Abstracts
- Great achievements
- Nobel Laureates.com
- Think tank
- Biographies
- Facilities to publish your books, poems, lessons, and any work in the net free of cost
- Pick the brain
- TIP and Down loading and saving and using
Sunday, February 5, 2012
To ELTAI Google Group
Dear all,
I am Dr. S. Malaikkani (Male) with 30 years of teaching experience and
more than 15 years of research experience. I have authored more than
ten booklets about teaching and learning of English. What I am going
to express here is my own opinion about research in ELT and ELL.
Mind is a mine of diamonds and its cognitive potential is immeasurable
and the key to open it is the language. Brain has the power to create
new ideas. It is a factory of new innovation and invention. English
language has the power to activate the cognitive abilities of
students. only when the students realize their mind power they would
become self-learners.
Today English remains a killer language and who is responsible for
this sorry state of affairs? Are we ready to accept the fact that
English teachers are responsible for it? Multi-national companies
blame the linguistic poverty of students as the prime cause for not
recruiting them. Thus students get tearful learning rather than joyful
learning and it wrecks their entire life.
A good "TOEFL" score should be made mandatory for all English
Teachers as in foreign countries.
Now coming to Research supervisors:
They should realize that most of the theses today are sleeping in the
shelves without any use to anyone. First of all they should cultivate
the research bent of mind. An original thesis is the result of three
years of mental hard work and it should contain originality,
creativity, innovation and it should add some new knowledge to the
existing knowledge map of the world. Futher it should have the quality
to be published in a book form. That is the reason for using the
saying 'PUBLISH OR PERISH'. The contents of the thesis should help
minimum a thousand people to think in different ways.
The Research Scholars should be lovers of English language,
self-learners, speed-learners and life-long learners. Research is not
for a time but for a life time. Their word power has to be a minimum
of 50 thousand and up to a maximum of 1,00,000. Writers have no
retirement and when the research scholars with an innovative-bent of
mind start writing, thier students will also follw them. Dr. Jhonson
said that if you want to write a book you should read a minimum of
thousand books. If you write two books, it is equal to a doctorate.
Any English Teacher interested in learning more about th latest
research in ELT and ELL, I recommend my books with the titles "Better
Learning of Spoken English" and "Better Teaching of Spoken English".
The first one is the findings of my M.Phil thesis and the second one
is the gist of my Ph.D thesis.
Further my weblogs 'malaikkani.blogspot.com' will help you a lot.
I request the new language teachers to learn more about my short cuts
and secrets in ELT and ELL.
Thank you for reading.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Learning English
Indian students are not properly motivated to know about the importance of English
for their academic achievement and job opportunities. They are not aware of self- learning strategies using their personal language laboratories which are available in their homes. English language cannot be taught but it has to be picked up and has to be acquired by their self-effort.
The English learners face two difficulties in mastering the language.
1. Lack of Native Speaker’s Model
2. Mother tongue influence
These two difficulties can be overcome by conscious listening to News Readers’ voice
The following tips will help students to improve their learning of English quickly.
1. Imitation of English teachers’ voice
Or
Class room English
2. Practicing English dialogues by memorizing a few of them
3. Manipulation of sentences
4. Creating their own micro or macro-dialogues
5. Using Electronic gadgets in their homes or Personal Laboratories
6. Integrating the four skills of Learning (LSRW)
7. Using good dictionaries and thesaurus
8. Making notes and expanding them into complete sentences
9. Accumulating words, phrases, sentences and dialogues and
10. Repetition of the above activities continuously
The English teachers’ task should be to train the students in all the above self-learning activities.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
OFTEN REPEATED WORDS, PHRASES AND SENTENCES IN SPOKEN ENGLISH
OFTEN REPEATED WORDS, PHRASES AND SENTENCES IN SPOKEN ENGLISH
Yes
No
Welcome!
Please
Thanks!
O.k.
Bye!
Congratulations!
Condolences!
Cheers!
Oh!
Alas!
Good!
Bad!
Sure!
Hello!
Well!
Dreadful!
Awful!
Terrible!
Nice!
Wow!
Amazing!
Fantastic!
Beautiful!
Marvelous!
Greetings!
How nice!
What?
When?
Where?
Why?
Who?
Certainly!
Silence!
Nothing!
Done!
Really!
Excuse me!
Of course!
All right!
Very well!
Go to Hell!
Hell with you!
Very bad!
What work?
Miserable weather!
Anything more!
Extremely happy!
Well done!
Nice to see you!
Season’s greetings!
Very kind of you!
See you!
See you again!
See you later!
Take care!
Be happy!
Be cheerful!
I beg your pardon!
I am sorry!
I feel extremely sorry!
Best of luck!
It is kind of you!
Look here!
Listen to me!
How pretty it is!
I can’t tell you!
You have our grateful thanks
I am ignorant!
I am innocent!
I’m hungry
Don’t be silly!
Don’t be stupid!
Don’t be idiotic!
Who told you?
I don’t know
Don’t worry
What do you want?
That’s all you may go
I don’t like it
Who can doubt it?
Is it all right?
Keep quiet
What? Are you sure?
Is it possible?
I feel hungry
She is crying
Here’s something for you
What on earth is the mater?
What is the matter?
I hardly know it
How silly you are!
Who goes there?
I have come to see you
I know all about that
What do you say?
What do you mean?
Look here!
I call it hard luck.
You are lucky!
I don’t know it
I don’t deny it
Today is Friday
Tomorrow is Saturday!
Don’t worry
What’s the time now?
Are you ready?
It’s a lie
Is that all?
That’s all.
I am aware of that .
I’ll come home in the evening.
I’m coming
I had a suspicion
What are you up to now?
I understand you?
Wake up!
Wash your face
Take your breakfast
Go and fetch water
Hurry up!
What next?
It’s a fact
I feel sorry for it
Is it enough?
It isn’t enough
Enough! Enough!
What’s the matter?
It’s too dear
It’s costly
It’s very costly
Will that suit you?
Shake hands
That’s a good idea
I’m afraid
It’s a red letter day
I understand it
I like it
I love it
I long for it
What did you say?
What do you think of it?
What are you thinking of it?
I think so!
I see!
I can’t help it
What’s it?
How is it?
Don’t worry!
How’s that?
Behave yourself
Mind your words
Speak politely.
Help yourself
Be like a busy bee.
Dare to think.
Dare to excel
Dare to speak the truth
Take either one.
Either of them will be satisfactory.
You must not favour either side in the dispute
In either event you’ll benefit
I don’t like the red one and I don’t like the green one either
I dislike both
ACQUIRING INTERNATIONAL INTELLIGIBILITY IN ENGLISH
ACQUIRING INTERNATIONAL INTELLIGIBILITY IN ENGLISH
The English Language has become the richest and the most powerful language to enrich and empower any individual, a society or a nation. Developing countries struggle to teach quality English to their citizens. Developed countries like Chinese, Japanese and Russia
Information Technology (IT) revolution has been creating new job opportunities like Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Services and Medical Transcription Services. These internet-based job opportunities are executed through the use of English.
IT boom has become a boon to India India
Multi-National companies (MNCS) in India Call Center
English is the language of the computer, e-learning and Internet learning. The students should be trained to the e-voice of the machine language. Today different types of English like, British English, American English, Cartoon English, e-English, etc. threaten the ordinary learners. Most of the Net based jobs are from America
According to the levels of school and college learning, Indian students possess three types of intelligibility in English.
They are the following :
1. State Level Intelligibility (SLI)
2. National Level Intelligibility (NLI)
3. International Level Intelligibility in English (ILIE)
All mother tongue medium students and the first generation learners learn English for more than twelve years. Inspite of learning for so many years, they are able to utter a few words in English with their friends and relatives. This may be described as “Good – morning” English. It is full of their mother influence. Their English is intelligible only in their state. These students are the majority in different parts of India
The second category of students are having the National Level Intelligibility in English (NLIE). All English medium and matriculation school students come under this category. These students learn their subjects in English and the constant exposure in English makes them fluent in English. This is an added advantage over the SLIE students. These second category of students speak English without fear but yet commit grammatical errors in English. Their English is not free from their mother tongue influence. They can comprehend the English spoken by other state students. Other state students can also understand their English. For these students INIE remains a dream.
The third level of students are the most brilliant students coming out of the central schools like Kendriya Vidhyalayas, Navodhaya Vidhyalayas and International Residential schools. These students enjoy hi-hits in English and feel at home while watching any English movie. They can converse freely with any foreigner and their English can also be understood by foreigners. These students with ILIE obtain job opportunities very easily. Most of these students possess personal computers (PCS) with internet facilities owing to their English fluency, they resort to individual learning and go beyond their syllabus and improve their knowledge.
What are the strategies to acquire ILIE? The first step should be to stop teaching English in Tamil. The English Teachers should be given training in ILIE. They should know that language is a habit, a skill and it has to be acquired by the students. Hence the prime duty of the teachers is to teach the students how to acquire the language in different ways.
Spoken English is considered to be the school subject. But the practical life skills of listening and speaking in English are neglected at the school level. The school students should be taught to memorize some micro and macro dialogues useful in their life situations. To suit this purpose, the existing syllabus with essays, stories and poems has to be replaced by text books of micro and macro dialogues.
The students must be trained to listen to radio and T.V. news bulletins and increase their own language skills. This practice will help them to overcome the problem of the lack of Native speaker’s model of English. The language teachers have to teach the mother tongue influence in mastering the second language. The students must know that English is an unphonetic language whereas Indian languages are phonetic in nature. Indian languages are spoken with the speed of two to three syllables a second. Whereas English is spoken with the speed of five to six syllables a second. Another striking feature is that Indian languages are syllable-timed whereas English is a stress-timed language.
Those who would like to obtain ILIE should memorize the forty four sound symbols. They have to pronounce the vowels and diphthongs correctly and keep the length of the diphthongs and long vowels in their speech. Correct stress of meaningful words and the use of weak forms for unstressed words will help the learners to get the necessary fluency to acquire ILIE.
BRIDGING THE GULF BETWEEN LITERATURE AND LIFE
BRIDGING THE GULF BETWEEN LITERATURE AND LIFE
Life and literature are inseparable. If life is real, then literature is virtual and imaginary. They complement, supplement, imitate and contribute to each other’s growth. From time immemorial when men started using their cognitive powers, they had started creating their own original literature which was nothing but the expression of their own experiences.
The speeches of pre-historic men were short, grisp and poetic in nature. Then they embedded the poems with signs, gestures and body language, and as a result a new genre of literature, “poetic drama” came into existence. When the Homo sapiens started talking for a long time, “poetic prose” was born. From this new type of literature, all other writings likes, articles, stories, letters, novels, etc. got their origin. Thus literature was aptly considered as the mirror of life.
Literature of a few languages like Greek, Latin, and Sanskrit etc. rose to the level of classics. These classical writings were the thoughts of the noblest minds in lofty style. Their writings dealt with joys, sorrows, morals, ethics, and ways of life. These masterpieces never failed to edify, entertain, and educate the minds of ordinary people throughout the world. Actually their lives and literature were one and they “drank life to the lees”.
The students of today lack ethics to guide their lives in future and to live their lives fully well. There is a gulf between their lives and the literature they learn. They should be educated in moral, social, political, and spiritual values. Both classical and modern literature possesses these values in plenty. In fact these values are taught to students from their school days onwards. The pity of it is that they don’t know how to use it in their lives. As a result of it evil behaviour spread like cancer among students and they get spoiled even at their tender age. Hence there exists a gap between their learning and lives.
How to bridge this ever-widening gulf between the precious lives of students and the literature they have learnt, remains a big question. Now let us consider a few problems and how to solve them.
The school children learn great poems, essays, letters, biographies of great men, stories, abstracts of novels and one act plays. They contain a lot of moral ideas to enrich, empower, improve and shape their future. In spite of learning great literature, the students do not knot how to use them in their lives. Further they forget what they learn in their school days and their learning is of no use in their future. John Donne opines that
“Knowledge that sleep doth die”
Confucius, a Chinese philosopher says that “Learning without thinking is labour lost”
From sixth standard to +2 levels, students memorize more than a hundred chosen poems amounting to a thousand lines of the classical as well as modern poems. More than that, they learn stories, essays, letters, and biographies of great men. After the exams are over the students forget everything blissfully and the teachers also fail to teach them how to utilize the treasure house of knowledge in their future.
The students can use the literature mastered by them in the following ways:
1. To solve their problems
2. To get peace of mind
3. To create their own literature
4. To change their behaviour and lives
5. To get happiness and
6. To entertain themselves
Great literature is the only panacea for all the ills of the human mind. Though they become old, the luster and beauty of them never fade away. As students grow old, they will find newer meanings according to their age and experience and comprehend the various shades or levels of meaning and enjoy them.
E.g. The words of Hamlet “To be or not to be”
These are mere words for school children. But when they grow older they will understand the real meaning of these words. The students who are enthused to read Shakespeare further will find solution to this question. If they understand the structure, style, selection of words and theme of literature, they would be induced to create their own literature.
E.g. Browning’s poem “Pippa’s Song”
The last two lines of the above poem have the power to subdue the negative emotions, and make one think in positive ways.
Once, a professor of literature commented that after twenty years of teaching literature only he came to know of the right method of teaching his subjects. Hence what the teachers need today is a change of mind and they should think seriously about their methods of teaching to bridge the gap between the students learning and life.
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