8

BUSINESS

Education
FOR PEACE
10 April, 2014 AWARD

Speak English Sana’a Al-Geria Street

Tel: +967 1 468002/3
Fax: +967 1 468192
Email: info.yemen@newhorizons.com

Understand the Communicative Introduction to

Approach to Teaching Literature
By James Sutton Teaching” has become an object of learning process through constant they are studying. What you will By Khalid Zilberg
pride to most who profess to follow practice and drilling. The students not see in a standard Communica-

E W
ver since the Middle East
started producing oil in
abundance in 1970s, the
English language became an intri-
cate part of business life in the re-
gion. Over the years, the
need for English centers
and English teachers has
increased ten-fold. The
English language went
from being at the business
epicenter in the Middle
East to becoming a part
of the everyday culture.
As the need for English
increased in the Middle
East, the need for an ap-
propriate methodology
to teach English became
the search for the Holy
Grail. Over the years,
many different method-
ologies have arisen and
been discarded; however,
one seems to have stood
the test of time.
The Communicative
Language Teaching meth-
odology began its rise to
prominence in the 1970s.
With the influx of foreign
nationals entering Britain
at that time, it became
something of a necessity to come
up with a practical way of teaching
these future citizens how to func-
tion in everyday society. Much
research was performed and many
methodologies experimented with
until the leading teachers of ELT in
Britain and around the world saw
the Communicative Methodology
the fittest of them all. Nowadays,
you can travel to any country in the
world and see this methodology be-
ing implemented in the classrooms.
Even the title “Communicative
its ways. However, do most people
even understand what Communi-
cative Teaching is?
The Communicative Methodolo-
gy comes from the verb ‘to commu-
nicate’. This verb is derived from
the Latin root ‘communis’ which
means ‘common’. From the root
word communis we get another
Latin word ‘communicare’ which
means to share or divide something
out, and this is what communica-
tion is, it is the sharing and dividing
of information amongst those that
are involved in the conversation.
Therefore, that will kind of make
what the methodology is about a bit
clearer to understand. The objec-
tive of this approach to teaching is
to get the students involved in the
A bit of grammar
are put into real everyday situa- tive classroom is a boring teacher
tions and are made to function in giving a long drawn out superflu-
the target language. What makes ous explanation on the 500 ways to
this style of teaching so interesting practice a basic grammar rule. This
is that it completely goes against tedium is considered the destroyer
all traditional and conventional of the language process in all Com-
methods of teach- municative classrooms.
ing. Most remem- The Communicative Approach
ber their days in does not deviate from the basics of
school being played language teaching, such as read-
out in a prison like ing, writing, speaking and listen-
environment with ing. Many people have taken to the
a tyrannical teach- belief in a fallacy that the Commu-
er figure standing nicative Approach mainly consists
and lecturing to a of speaking exercises and games
half asleep class of that waste the students’ time. Not
children who want saying that there is no truth to this
nothing more than claim; however, this only stems
to go out and play. from instructors who are failing to
This is the complete grasp the true concept of what the
antithesis of what a Communicative Approach is. This
standard classroom approach is not about simply go-
of ELT looks like ing into the classroom and creating
nowadays. So what a playground environment where
are the ingredients the students have a lot of fun and
to making a suc- in the end come out learning noth-
cessful Communi- ing. Teachers have to go in the
cative classroom? classroom with an objective, and
A Communica- they will use different activities
tive classroom can and games to achieve that learning
be distinguished by objective. So it can be understood
its very lax atmo- that the activities and games are
sphere. Having fun a means to achieve learning and
in this classroom is not simply to create a fun environ-
not immoral and unconventional. ment.
In all actuality, having a lax atmo- Therefore, throughout a series of
sphere full of activities and conver- essays in this newspaper, which will
sation is the exact description of be a monthly column, I will attempt
what a Communicative classroom to give an overview to assist current
looks like. The major objective of teachers in applying the Communi-
this style of teaching is to keep the cative Approach in their teaching
students busy with activities and practices, and to give a breakdown
different conversational topics that or shall I say a run through of a typ-
will force them to use the target lan- ical lesson according to the objec-
guage. The major objective of this tive of the lesson. I shall start next
approach is like any other academic month by giving a brief run down
form of study; to get the students on grammar lessons and will con-
to function properly in the subject tinue from there.
e start today with a small introduction of what poetry
is and how it has changed in a span of 2000 years? We
will focus primarily on English as our target language.
At times we come across words or parts of speech that English has bor-
rowed from Arabic. Such examples include: Alchemy, Mathematics, and
Algebra.
English has been developing, changing, borrowing, and some call
transforming itself into a resemblance of the people who use it. Such an
example would be from Beowulf, which was an Old English prose (very
long poem). It was dated as to have been written between the years of
700 to 1000.
Those who study the history of English will tell you that there are
three main eras that must be paid attention to: The first era is called
Old English which occurred roughly between the years of 450 to 1066.
This is when most of the changes occurred having to do with punctua-
tion, grammar, spelling, syntax, morphology etc. The second era we call
Middle English which was from 1066 to about 1485.
The last era is called Modern English which ranges from 1485 until
now. The most important changes that occurred, which changed the
English language dramatically, happened between Old English and
Middle English.
I have taken a small excerpt from Bewulf. I would like us to examine
what had been previously the first known literature.
1-21
HWÆT, WE GAR-DEna in geardagum,
þeodcyninga þrym gefrunon,
hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon!
oft Scyld Scefing sceaþena þreatum,
monegum mægþum meodosetla ofteah,
egsode eorlas, syððanærest wearð
feasceaft funden; he þæs frofre gebad,
weox under wolcnum weorðmyndum þah,

Simple Present Tense

oð þæt him æghwylc ymbsittendra
ofer hronrade hyran scolde,
gomban gyldan; þæt wæs god cyning!

T
The English both written and spoken during this time is undeniably un-
he Simple Present Tense can be used to express daily habits. readable. Unless you have studied at university for years, this would be
1. I __________________ breakfast at 7:00 every morning.
We mainly use the Simple Present Tense for actions that oc- the only way of understanding the text. Sentences were short but the
2. He always _______________________ a suit to work.
cur in a habitual fashion. For example, if we were to try and words themselves were long. During this time period the people tried to
3. The teacher _____________________ at the front of the
express our daily sleeping habits, we would use the Simple Present save as much room as possible on the paper that was being written upon.
classroom.
Tense to articulate that meaning. E.g. I wake up every day at 5 AM. The reason was because ink was a scarce and not many people had the
4. He ______________________ his teeth three times a day.
The Simple Present Tense also has one other quality and that is that ability to write. Most people who lived during this time were illiterate.
5. We usually ________________________ our groceries on
the Simple Present changes according to the pronoun used with it. An According to research, we have no original copy of Bewulf. All that has
the weekend.
example of this would be: been found are duplicates and re-writings from scribes who copied from
6. He ___________________ a meeting every morning.
one another.
7. She often ______________________ chicken for dinner.
I go to the store every day. They drink coffee every morning. We wash We will see dramatic transformation from what was previously never
8. They ____________________ the bus to school every day.
our faces when we wake up. understood (if examined by a modern day speaker of English). I have
9. We often _________________ television in the evenings.
copied a small poem which was written in the 1990’s. This will show the
10. He _____________________ to the radio on his way to
He goes to the store every day. She drinks coffee every morning. changes that occurred after 1000 to 1500 years.
work.
Ahmed washes his face when he wakes up. 11. The teacher _____________________ three languages.
Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete?
12. A mechanic _______________ cars.
Therefore, if you see the pronouns I, we, you, they, or a plural noun, Proving nature's law is wrong it learned to walk without having
13. She ___________________ the dishes after dinner.
the verb following them would be ‘go’. If you see the pronouns he, she feet.
14. They __________________ coffee every morning.
it, or a singular noun, the verb following them would be ‘goes’. Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams, it learned to breathe fresh
air.
Answers:
Long live the rose that grew from concrete when no one else ever
Choose the correct verb from the list below to complete cared.
the following sentences. Use the correct form of the simple 1. eat 6. has 11. speaks (Excerpt from: A Rose That Grew From Concrete)
present tense. 2. wears 7. eats 12. fixes
From Old English to Modern Day English, the writings, if compared, are
3. sits 8. take 13. washes similar to comparison of night and day. What had previously between
fix stand drink eat do 4. brushes 9. watch 14. drink Old English, was a combination of multiple languages such as German,
wear have wash make listen 5. do 10. listens Latin, Sanskrit, and many others. Our modern day English consists of
buy take watch brush speak the same borrowing but a more easily identifiable script. Meaning words
were shortened, vowels changed, and the ability to speak English be-
came easier.