Thinking activity : atanu bhattacharya

English Language Teaching 2 by Prof. Atanu Bhattacharya

English is a widely spoken language today. It has often been referred to as ‘global language’, the lingua franca of the modern era and currently the language most often taught as a second language around the world. English in India is used not only for communicating with the outside world but also for inter-state and intrastate communication. Because of the great ethnic and linguistic diversity found within our nation, English acts as an indispensable ‘link’ language.

1. ELT - Historical Perspective

Any kind subject history is the beginning of aspect. In literature, history is necessary for very closely related to the subject. Also, the subject is deeply rooted in history. So history is basic information about the topic.

First World War 1880
World  War 1st to 1940
World war 2nd until 1970 
the seventies and early eighties

As above during that period, in the English language teaching change and creation the methods and approaches like main features of English language teaching. Direct method; phonetics, compromise method, reading approach, linguistic approach to language teaching, intensive language teaching, audiolingual method / audiovisual, language linguistics and psycholinguistics, etc.

During first w.w an emphasis on the teaching of foreign languages in schools and universities on their own terms and not as something that imitates teaching of classical languages an effort to avoid comparison with the classics and an attempt to reform the language teaching methods. A few experiments with language teaching in Britain, for example, with Harold Palmer- advocated the oral method. World War II until 1970 major developments in language teaching a major influence of linguistics and psychology.

2. Literature for Language Teaching: Poem and Fiction

literature as a tool for language learning. In literature there are various literary forms like Epic, Drama, Novel, Short stories etc. used in language teaching, poetry is one of systematic appearance and most beautiful form of art to teach and learn the second language. The use of literature in the ELT classroom is enjoying a revival for a number of reasons. Having formed part of traditional language teaching approaches, literature became less popular when language teaching and learning started to focus on the practical use of language. 

Why use literature in ELT classroom?
Literary texts offer a rich source of linguistic input and can help learners to practise the four skills - speaking, listening, reading and writing - in addition to exemplifying grammatical structures and presenting new vocabulary. Also, literature through we know the cultural differences or use technologies in audio text or visual, movies and enhance the richness of sensory input through literature. Literature can help learners to develop their understanding of other cultures, awareness of ‘difference' and to develop tolerance and understanding. 

3. Testing and Evaluation: Validity, Reliability & Washback

Testing, Evaluation and Assessment:-
Testing: it is dealt with a specific and particular object. Testing is like give a test, check and score-based.
- teaching ability 
- International test

Evaluation: most general term. General idea about the particular idea
-give feedback
- generalized objectives

Proficiency Test 
Achievement Test 
Diagnostic Test 
Placement Test 
Computer Based Test

Backwash: it means the motion of receding waves. Example like Waves of Sea. This test based on both perspective negative and positive. The backwash test is also known as the Washback. In the education system in the yearly and semester-based examination, is the influence that a test has on the way students are taught. The backwash effect is the learning outcome of an exam or test and an examination for the result. Sometime washback test in a way is positive or negative.

Thinking activity : the sense of Ending

The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

About Writer: Julian Barnes
   

          Julian Patrick Barnes (born 19 January 1946) is an English writer. Barnes won the Man Booker Prize for his book The Sense of an Ending (2011), and three of his earlier books had been shortlisted for the Booker Prize: Flaubert's Parrot (1984), England, England (1998), and Arthur & George (2005).

The Sense of an Ending

The novel is divided into two parts

The first part biggins in the 1960s. It begins with four intellectually arrogant school friends.
we are told about two friends out of four. The first one is Tony the narrator and the second one is a Adrain the most preciously intelligent of the four.
When they were in the last year of the school, a boy who killed himself after getting a girl pregnant.
The four friends discuss the death philosophically, they wanted to know what exactly happened.

Then Adrain joins Cambridge University. Whereas Tony takes admission in Bristol university. Tony had a girlfriend called Veronica. He spends an awkward weekend at Veronica's house. Then their relationship fails in some acrimony.



=) Damage’ recurs as a motif in the novel. Whom do you think is ‘damaged’ and who is the ‘damager’?

a.                Damage : the letter written by Tony to Adrain and Veronica

b.               It damages Veronica’s relation with Adrain

c.                Perhaps, leads Adrain to meet Sarah Ford > their affair

d.               Sarah’s pregnancy > which may have lead to Adrain Finn’s suicide!

e.                The child, names Adrain is born with metal retardness > damage caused by suicide of Adrain to Sarah while she is pregnant > or her middle-aged pregnancy

f.                 The letter damages several lives > Veronica, Adrain, Sarah and young Adrain

DELL Software Review

What is Language Lab?

A language laboratory is a dedicated space for Foreign Language Learning where students access audio or audio-visual materials. They allow a teacher to listen to and manage student audio, which is delivered to individual students through headsets or in isolated 'sound booths'.

*What is DELL:
Digital English Language Lab

* Language Lab Software in Computer:

As per my point of view to work using phone is easy than to work using computer. Sometimes computer works slowly which makes work boring. And while working on computer we have to remember some passwords&username to open this software.

It was very lengthy subject to study in every part we opened. There was an introductory page, basic information, lesson and an exercise at the end. In exercise there is three options that are:

Verify
Show Answer
Retry

*Positives as well as Negatives of this Software in computer:

- It is time consuming.

- One has to work only in lab to use this software.

- It requires Patience to work on it.

- One can easily learn Grammar , enhance  vocabulary and exercise at the end makes it interesting.

* DELL Software in NAMO E-Tab:

As above I've said to work on phone is easy rather to work on computer. My observations about DELL software in NAMO E-Tab are as under.

- It is not as much time consuming as in computer.

- It works faster in comparison of computer so here it is not boring.

- We can access it at anytime at anywhere, without sticking on chair for hours.

- The only disadvantage of this software in NAMO E-Tab according to me is that  it not gives us space for speaking skills as like in computer. Here we only have to listen , we can't record and analyse it as we can in Computer.

Thinking activity on one night @ the call center

We all know about Chetan Bhagat. He is well known writer. He is famous for his best novels. He is an Indian author and columnist, known for his Indian-English novels about young middle class Indians.

His famous works:-

•   One Night @ the Call Center

•   The 3 Mistakes of my Life

•   2 States

•   Revolution 2020

•   What Young India Wants

•   Half Girlfriend

•   Making India Awesome

•   One Indian Girl

•  The Girl in Room-105

 • Thinking activity on his famous novel ONE NIGHT @ the CALL CENTER

One Night @ the Call Center is a novel written by Chetan Bhagat and first published in 2005. The novel revolves around a group of six call center employees working at the Connexions call center in Gurgaon, Haryana, India.

• Popular Literature and One night at the call center

Chetan Bhagat’s novel belong to popular literature because his most off novels are related to young generation and his novel best selling at the present time. We can see his novel based movie  like 2 State, Kapiyo Chhe, Hello, Half girlfriend, these all are interesting and popular in now a days also.This  is reason of his popularity. He writes novel in the very simple language for that we no need of dictionary. His novel plot and theme based on young generation. For that young generation likes his works. His novel name also interact young generation people.

Self-help book and one night @ the call center

There are lot of books for self-help and it is most of need of any person at sometimes. If anyone say I had need still any self-help books so may be he/she make us fool because as we are human beings we all have some of desire and goals of life and it sometimes our desire can not fulfill at that time we have need to motive our self, One Night @ Call Center novel also consider as self help book because this kind of characteristics we can find out in the novel. And use mysteries voice it is also feature of self help book and Priyanka, Shayam, Varoon, Esha, Radhika, Military uncle there are novel characters life turning point it is also consider self help books features. Thenovel has one of the theme is its anti- American sentiments which are intertwined with Nationalism. In the novel to give setting picture of call center this call center  working for solving problems of American people, but at the call centre workers are Indian even boss changing the name of an agent like Shayam introduced himself and other side to show weakness of America people.

Impressionistic Criticism in One night @ the call center
As Critical reader to read this One Night @Call Center so we can know Chetan Bhagat represents of young generation and  Indian society or it is also reflection of call center agents conditions as well as private institutions how private sector use their agents. It is effect because in the novel show young generation problem and their need for that most off people and young generation want to read his novel.

Thinking activity : chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, born September 15, 1977, Enugu, Nigeria, Nigerian author whose work drew extensively on the Biafran war in Nigeria during the late 1960s. 

In 2008 Adichie received a MaCAurthur Foundation fellowship. The following year she released The Thing Around Your Neck, a critically acclaimed collection of short stories. Americanah (2013) centres on the romantic and existential truggles of a young Nigerian woman studying in the United States.

Notable Works :-

1)  Purple Hibiscus (2003)

2)  Half of a Yellow Sun (2006)

3)  Americanah (2013)

4)  The Thing Around Your Neck (2009)

5)  We should All be Feminists (2014)

1) Talk on importance of story / Literature :-

=> In this video she talks identity. she talks about that how identity is connected with our culture, Colour of skin. through this identity markers everybody judges our character. she also refers Chinua Achebe and camara Laye. skin colour also has a part of literature. thorough the literature peoples knew the another story. in single story everybody focus on one Purseption. 

2) We should All be Feminist :-

=> In this second video she talked on female character and feminism. she focused on reality of the world so that she remains into our mind. she shared as a black skin woman which types of problem and issues facing by her? through the gender there were taken differences into caring and growing. she shared her school experience where she rejected as a monitor into the class.

3) Talk on importance of youth in post-truth Era :-

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=> In this last video she addresses the students at Harward, Cambridge University. where she gives some motivation and asked about writing. she says if our writing was not praising or recommended then also stuck with your ideas. if we are real and we have confidence on our writing then we should write and expose it to the world. so, at last i like to conclude that she was a very influential writer of Nigeria and she has a power in her speech to speak truth of whatever happens with her. 

Thinking activity : education and technology

*Thinking activity : education and technology 

Video-1:

Changing paradigms by Ken Robinson

This first video starts with this line How do we educate our children to take their place in the economies of the 21st century? Economic, culture identity, globalization, economic circumstances and industrial revolution they all are discussed in this video. The current system was designed and conceived for a different age. 

Video- 2 & 3: 
Sugata Mitra on SOLE and Future Learning

What is the future of learning? Schools, as we know them are obsolete; schools are not broken, the education system is not broken, it's wonderfully established.

These are points Sugata Mitra discussed in both videos.

-) He invented the School in the Cloud

-) He’s the guy who put a computer in a hole in the wall in India

-) He wants to get rid of teachers

-) He thinks children can learn all they need from computers.

Video- 4:
 Let's use video to reinvent education by Salman Khan

In this video Salman Khan talks about why and how created the remarkable Khan Academy, a carefully structured series of educational videos. He shows the power of interactive calls and exercises for teachers to consider converting the traditional classroom notes- gives students video lectures to watch at the classroom or home. 

Video- 5: 
Audio track by Marc Prensky on Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants.

In this video, Prensky talk on Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants. Both are often used to describe the digital gap in terms of the ability of technology use among people born from 1980 onward and those born before. The term digital native describes a person who has grown up in the digital age, rather than having acquired understanding with digital systems as an adult, as a digital immigrant.

Video- 6,7 & 8: 
Influence of technology on the English language by David Crystal

In these videos, David Crystal, talking about how new technologies have an effect on English today.  Technologies influence the English language quite specific ways obvious example are shows messaging like twitting or text messaging or Facebook or many kinds of ways. The teachers of English have always taught RP English as a standard variety. ‘For the teachers, it is important to show respect to RP’ argues David Crystal (2013). The difficulties experienced by students range from pronunciation differences, vocabulary differences to grammar and cultural background issues. The existence of so many varieties will pose teaching problems, and influence the way English is taught.. Thus the purpose of the study was to discuss some reasons that would account for the mismatch between classroom English and the everyday, informal, language practice of native speakers, and to suggest ways of battling this.

Thinking activity :Cultural studies:- workshop by Dr. Kalyani Vallath

Cultural studies:- workshop by Dr. Kalyani Vallath

Here im talking about Dr. Kalyani Vallath Mam. She belongs to kerela. Especially she come for teaching cultural studies and also net/set class. Her personality is very good. Her tone is very good in teaching line. Her speech is very clear and we can understand very easily. Her nature is very good and that is very important. Im really impressed to her personality and many others things.

1. What is your understanding about the concept of cultural studies?

We have different culture and we are defferant types of people in our India. Culture means how we live and where we stay in what we eat and wearing etc

2. How would you explain a layman about cultural studies?

We have culture and tradition, mam gives a example from Aasam's poverty and slavery and they cut animal and eat with blood. 

3. If you are asked in interview to teach cultural studies - How would you introduce it?

First of all I'm asked about culture and tradition and than said what is cultural studies. 

4. How many examples from the sessions were so catchy that you will never forget it? Write about it.

Mam gives so many examples for better understanding on cultural studies. She gives high-class example and also gives on middle class. Suddenly mam wants drink water but she said i don't like bottle water because this is polluted and attached with corruption. 

5. Anything else...

Overall session is very good. Sir arranged food for guest, teachers and students. This seminar is very important to everyone because Mam talking about culture and our tradition. Sir managed everything perfectly. After complted mam's lecture sir sent a link of feedback and after give feedback sir sent certificate of workshop.