“Language learners should only be exposed to the forms they are taught.” Agree or Disagree?

 “Language learners should only be exposed to the forms they are taught.” Agree or Disagree?

I absolutely don’t agree with the statement “Language learners should be exposed only to the forms they are taught”

The reasons for my disagreement is first, the amount of time learning a language in a classroom is not sufficient for a student to fully acquire a language. Normally, language classes are scheduled to a maximum 4 to 5 hours a week and are full of theory with tenses, forms, vocabularies and so little time for practice. Without regular practice, students can never make the language theirs and what they have learnt in class will simply slip off their mind once they don’t use or don’t have a chance to use it. I’m teaching a class in which they are all adults and have no contact with English for several years. With only 3 hours of classroom each week, I don’t feel it’s enough for them to be able to speak the language if they don’t try to practise and use what they have learnt in real life.

Secondly, there are so many forms of learning out there for students to be interactive with the language they are learning, so why should they be exposed to only one form. They can find someone who they can practise speaking with, listen to a music song they like in English or try to watch a movie without reading the subtitle. This is the reason why I need to incorporate some materials like songs and youtube videos in my class. For example, when I teach them about the difference between will and be going to, I let them listen to the song ” You’re gonna lose that girl” of the Beatles.

Last but not least, students need to figure out how they are going to use the language in real life to find the motivation to learn it, whether they need it to order food in a restaurant in a foreign country, do business overseas, chat with a tourist they meet on the road. Based from that, they need to make it happen, grab the chance and create an environment in which they have to use the language they learn and live with it. I’m teaching a class in which there are employees of a local company and actually the chance for them to practise English is very rare. The only thing I can do is making them do the role play, imagine they are talking to a foreign customer or a business partner.

All in all, it’s advisable for students to utilise all forms of learning and immerse themselves in the language. If they don’t surround themselves by the chances of using it, the language will go away from them as long as they stop going to class.

#TESOL #Learning#2020

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