Using the first language in a classroom
Using the first language in the classroom could benefit the students because, early on at least, students already translate from the second language to their first, so why would we limit the usage of one tool that they already use extensively in order to advance their language knowledge? I would also like to pull out an extreme example where Victor of Aveyron, a feral child who lived in the jungle for many years before exposure to society. He had no first language to draw from, yet teaching him was the equivalent of teaching someone "deaf and dumb" according to one of the French scientists that tried to teach him language. He was unable to speak and I believe that it could be because he had no first language to draw from and was far beyond the critical stage where language is acquired passively in babes. Of course, the problem is a lot more complex than that, but it is possible that that could be one of the issues. Having a first language can help us see similarities shared with the second language which could in turn streamline the learning process.
Of course, done with negligence and the students learn to become very dependent on the teacher. They'll be conditioned to believe that every time a new word comes up, rather than use a strategy that can promote autonomy, they could just ask Mr Omar what the definition of the word is. Truly counter-intuitive. When the teacher gets used to just spoonfeeding the words to the students, they will return the favor by using the language they are comfortable with, which reduces both exposure and practice opportunities.
Personally, I've tried both and find that I am torn on this. I've used both approaches and found that many students either use English exclusively in classes or do not regardless of whether or not I use Arabic. I did find that if I spoke Arabic early on in one course that students would hardly ever use English after that, but if I did not and pretended that I do not know Arabic, they'd try very hard to use English even after I found out I knew Arabic. It was a very interesting discovery and one I wish were explored further so I can have conviction of my actions rather than be uncertain of whether or not I should use Arabic.
Of course, done with negligence and the students learn to become very dependent on the teacher. They'll be conditioned to believe that every time a new word comes up, rather than use a strategy that can promote autonomy, they could just ask Mr Omar what the definition of the word is. Truly counter-intuitive. When the teacher gets used to just spoonfeeding the words to the students, they will return the favor by using the language they are comfortable with, which reduces both exposure and practice opportunities.
Personally, I've tried both and find that I am torn on this. I've used both approaches and found that many students either use English exclusively in classes or do not regardless of whether or not I use Arabic. I did find that if I spoke Arabic early on in one course that students would hardly ever use English after that, but if I did not and pretended that I do not know Arabic, they'd try very hard to use English even after I found out I knew Arabic. It was a very interesting discovery and one I wish were explored further so I can have conviction of my actions rather than be uncertain of whether or not I should use Arabic.
As for me I prefer to use English a lot and avoid using the mother language in teaching my students, as you said Omar in your post, they try to work hard to understand each word or rule, maybe I can use the body language or cards to explain and help them to understand. However, I need to explain some vocabularies in the mother tongue, especially the scientific terms to avoid misunderstanding.
ReplyDeleteI believe using L1 in class is helpful some times and of course not all the time. Some times saying one word in L1 will safe the teacher maybe one session. Students need to feel that their L is important as the target language they are leaning and maybe more. In some situations, Through using L1 in the class students will learn the differences between the taaget language and their L1.
ReplyDeleteUsing the mother language may facilitate the explanation and help the teacher but preventing Arabic words in the class will force students to understand the meaning and maybe it can motivate their curiosity that leads to a better understanding because they will never forget it.
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