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Problems Facing Teaching and Learning of The English Language

The document discusses several challenges that students face when learning English as a second language, including: [1] unqualified English teachers who may teach incorrect pronunciation; [2] limited learning environments where students do not regularly hear proper English spoken; and [3] students who do not take their English study seriously and only focus on it during class. Some solutions proposed are for students to use recommended learning materials, make a conscious effort to learn on their own as well, and use audio tools to learn proper pronunciation.

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2K views2 pages

Problems Facing Teaching and Learning of The English Language

The document discusses several challenges that students face when learning English as a second language, including: [1] unqualified English teachers who may teach incorrect pronunciation; [2] limited learning environments where students do not regularly hear proper English spoken; and [3] students who do not take their English study seriously and only focus on it during class. Some solutions proposed are for students to use recommended learning materials, make a conscious effort to learn on their own as well, and use audio tools to learn proper pronunciation.

Uploaded by

ciel
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Problems Facing Teaching and Learning of the English Language

Shannon Johnson - Updated May 17, 2019

Teachers instructing students in learning English as another language often face with a variety of common and
student-specific problems. Instructing students in the English language involves building a student's
reading and speaking vocabulary and understanding of written and spoken English language. To
facilitate a positive learning atmosphere for students and encourage them to practice and continue to
learn the language, teachers should find ways to correct these common problems and reinforce the core
information students need to effectively communicate in English.

Challenges Encountered by Learners of English as a Second Language


Learning a second language is never easy. Learning English as a second language is even less easy. Particularly if
you are learning English outside of an English-speaking country. For instance, English language learners
in African countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Zambia, Malawi, and some other African countries face
a lot of challenges because English is not the native language of these countries. Just as there are
problems faced in learning English as foreign language, so there are challenges in learning English as
second language.

These English language learners often face the following challenges.


1. Unqualified Teachers

This is the most significant and the most overlooked problem. What makes this problem so difficult to solve is
that, since many communities are English language learners, they cannot determine who is a good
English teacher and who isn't. Whatever the teacher says, whether correct or incorrect, will be taken as
correct by the learner.

This has led to a lot of confusion among learners because different teachers tell them different things. One of
the main causes of this problem is the difficulty teachers have translating from their native languages.
For instance, the word ‘cup’ is pronounced by different teachers as either [kap], [kop], or with a vowel
sound that does not exist in English. For instance, the sound /Λ/ does not exist in the sound systems of
many African languages, so even teachers sometimes have problems pronouncing it.

2. Limited Learning Environments

When I talk about limited learning environments, I'm not referring to the weather, the availability of furniture in
the classrooms, or the location of the school. While all of these factors can affect learning, in learning
English, what happens outside of class matters most. In most cases, students only make an effort to
speak proper English in the classroom when they are under supervision. Moreover, students don’t
always hear people around them speaking proper English. As a result, it becomes more difficult to learn
correct English.

Learning materials refer to items that aid in the learning process. Books may be a necessary material, but books
are not enough by themselves. Audio tools are also needed. As observed above, if a student sees a
sound symbol in a book, how does he/she know how to pronounce it? The fact is, students of English
Language graduate into teachers of the English language without ever getting to hear the correct
pronunciation by a native speaker.

Students also study haphazardly. They have books to read but they can’t tell how certain words are said. How
would a student know how to pronounce the word ‘ewe’? He/she must hear the right pronunciation
from his/her teacher or from a native speaker of English. Students tend to learn from movies they watch
but they often learn the wrong things because movies contain slang and dialects that are not
appropriate in many forms of communication.
4. Students Don't Take Their Study Seriously

In this case, students often think that the same English they speak at home or on the street is the same they will
write in their exams. However, because communication doesn't have to be grammatically correct in
order to be intelligible, students don’t always always abide by the rules they learned in school and
therefore do not get fully educated and/or pass their tests.

It is also the case that students don’t study English as much as they study other subjects. In most cases, students
study English only in the classroom when the teacher is teaching. After the class, they drop their books
and wait for the next class. They don’t study pronunciation, they don’t study essay writing, and they
don’t make an effort to learn new words. They bring every little problem to the teacher during classes,
even things they could just look it up in the dictionary. When learners make mistakes and are corrected,
they often say “It is not my language after all.” This greatly affects their ability to learn English.

Other Problems

Even with qualified teachers, adequate materials, and exposure to native English speakers, there are still a
number of problems that any ESL student will face.

1. Over-Use of Native Language in the Classroom

Students learn another language best when they're forced to use it. Teachers must be vigilant about requiring
students to communicate in English and only in English—even if they're just talking to each other. If you
know the students' native language, pretend in the classroom that you don't—as that will force them to
make requests and respond to questions in English. This problem comes from the cultural demands of
the family and society.

2. Students Become Too Dependent on the Teacher

Part of learning anything means figuring out how to solve problems on your own. If a student goes to the
teacher with every little problem s/he runs into, then the student will never be able to learn the
language on their own. If students insist that they don't know how to say or do something on their own,
they need to be reassured that they actually can with positive feedback and encouragement.

3. Strong Students Dominate the Class

No matter how well students are sorted, there will still be differences in how much students know and how
quickly they can learn. Setting the pace of the class to to keep up with the strongest students will leave
the weaker ones behind. Weaker students shouldn't be forgotten in classroom discussions and activities.

The Solution

For students who are willing to put in the effort, there are a number of steps they can take to improve their
English language skills.

They must be extra careful to be sure to use correct materials recommended by a reliable teacher of English.

They must make a deliberate and conscious effort to learn with or without a class teacher.

The student should get audio materials so he/she can hear the correct pronunciation of sounds and words.

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