TESOL MYTHS DEBUNKED

I was browsing the web the other day (what else is new!) and I stumbled upon a great article by Rusul Alrubail.   She answers what she calls the myths of TESOL   learners.

The 5 myths she addresses are:

Students can’t use their L1 in class

Students need to be corrected when they’re speaking English

All TESOL learners are immigrants

A student must assimilate with the North American culture if they want to learn properly

All learners share similar backgrounds, status, and culture.

To L1 or Not to L1?

Back when I was learning to become an TESOL   instructor, it was a big no no if a student used their L1 during class. It was frowned upon and even “forbidden” for lack of a better term. And if you let it happen in class, then you weren’t doing your job properly.

What are your thoughts on this topic? I personally never agreed with this philosophy. I’m no rebel, believe me, but the idea that a student learning a new language wasn’t allowed to reference back to their native language seemed bizarre to me.

What I did was allow those TESOL students who weren’t able to communicate well (especially at the lower levels) to use their L1 for translation purposes. It seemed fair and logical – especially when we’re talking about adult learners. Many are well educated individuals who have come to Canada for a myriad of reasons – whether they were forced to leave their country due to turmoil, or because they were seeking a better living environment for their families. They arrive with varying degrees of education and a variety of life experiences.

As such, I felt that by allowing the students to use their L1 to aid them in learning English and in making sense of what’s being taught, they would gain confidence and be more motivated to want to continue learning.

What I did, however, was continue to speak in TESOL English. And I did my best not to reveal where I was from and what languages I spoke because I didn’t want anyone to feel like they could speak to me in their native tongue! That has happened too many times in the past. They eventually would find out but I’d continue to speak to them in English until we had finished class.

Speaking above all else?

Another topic I wanted to get your thoughts on is the emphasis, or lack of, on speaking. Every student I’ve ever taught wished to know more English – and not TESOL grammar or writing or even reading. Just speaking. Although I believe in teaching all skills to bring balance their learning curve, I tend to skew more towards speaking, by integrating it as much as possible during class. I feel like most of us do the same in this regard.

For example, as I take attendance, I ask each TESOL student an open-ended question just to get them to talk, and to get out of their comfort zone a bit. Sometimes my question becomes a discussion point amongst those attending; so I go with the flow and wait until it stops, then move on to the next name.

Another thing I like to do to encourage speaking is role-play. I love role playing for students because once again, it gets them out of their seats but more importantly, it makes them uncomfortable – which is a great thing for them, since it forces them to think and act quickly in a given scenario. This helps them when they’re out in the real world, and interacting with others.

What do you think?

Now I’m turning this post over to you. I want to learn from you. We’re surrounded by a wealth of knowledge from those of you who have been at this TESOL teaching game for years; so how great would it be to have that knowledge passed on to the rest of us.

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