“A Functional Notional Approach To Language Teaching
A TEXT BOOK EVALUATION
A TEXT BOOK EVALUATION
by
Muzaffer KATAR
CONTENTS
Pages
INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................
PRIMARY CHARACTERISTICS OF A LANGUAGE BOOK........................................
AN IDEAL CONTENT OF A GENERAL ENGLISH BOOK...........................................
SCOTTFORESMAN ENGLISH SERIES..........................................................................
THE APPROACH EMPLOYED BY THE BOOKS IN THE SERIES...............................
OBJECTIVES....................................................................................................................
INSTRUCTIONS..............................................................................................................
EXERCISE TYPOLOGY...................................................................................................
STAGING OF THE LESSONS.........................................................................................
EVALUATION..................................................................................................................
PAGE LAY OUT...............................................................................................................
IN GENERAL....................................................................................................................
LACKINGS.......................................................................................................................
INTRODUCTION
Scientists of linguistics all over the world are trying to discover the methods and techniques to teach the language the best.
It must be pointed out that, in a lot of different sicientific studies in many study areas in linguistics and in the complexity of every-day changing and abundance of method, approaches, designs and techniques, teachers get confused and sometimes don’t know how to teach or act.
We can never completely deny any one method; therefore, a general approach towards methods should be to take the useful facets and to leave the useless ones of them.
Books are in the significant place in language teaching whatever method you use. All books are designed in different characteristics and tried to be designed according to a method. Is according to whatever method a book designed, it should characteristicly cover the following last developments reached at in language teaching.
PRIMARY CHARACTERISTICS OF A BOOK FOR FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING
COGNITIVISM: A book must be designed caring “COGNITION” of the students. The foreign language material in the book must let the students to cognize fast and put the learning material in mind fast.
COMMUNICABILITY: The book should allow the students to offer what learnt with the book of the course to other people as communication material. A good book would allow the students to set up successful communication with others.
FUNCTIONALITY: The grammar elements included in the book must be functional and useful for the students to use them in their lives and social affairs.
Only by having the characteristics defined above, a book might be written according to any one approach, for an apropriate language teaching activity.
AN IDEAL CONTENT OF A GENERAL ENGLISH BOOK
As it is clear to me, many of the general English books do not have an ideal, appropriate content. The order of the topics or grammar structures is not from the easy to the difficult. And also you can see many extra structures which are not formally included in the syllabus studied by then. A very good example on this problem is seen on page 57 in SIDE BY SIDE I. In the reading on the mentioned page, there is the sentence,
“They are upset because there aren’t many people shopping in their stores in the center of town”. “A modifying verb” is seen here. By the unit in which the above sentence takes place, “modifying verbs” aren’t included in the syllabus. In this case, the teacher will either give the meaning and pass or will study a new structure that will indispose him or her from the actual unit and that will cause study more than one subject at a time what is not defended in language teaching.
Sometimes a structure is seen in the earlier units but the sturcture is included in a later unit in the syllabus (Side by Side: Singular /Plural).
It seems to us that an ideal content of a general English book will include these elements in order.
· Nouns- Singular/Plural and Pronunciation of “-s”
· Demonstrative Adjectives + Sentences with “is” + questions and negatives.
(Optional: Simple questions with the question words etc.)
· Noun Phrases (to be sentences) (Positive, negative, questions)
(Optional: Occupation names or any notion which can be studied with this structure like prepositions or time-telling etc.)
· There is/are. (some, any, how much/many)
(Optional a few,a little, a lotd of etc.)
· Simple Tenses (optional: frequency Adverbs; when, while, etc.)
· Modals (and many other elements towards a notion or function etc.)
· Compound sentences (noun, adjectival and adverbial clauses and many other notional-functional aspects, etc.).
(Nearby these topics, the other language elements, notions, functions etc. will be taught).
SCOTTFORESMAN ENGLISH SERIES
In this study, the books of SCOTTFORESMAN ENGLISH SERIES are taken to criticize its positive and negative aspects. They have been written by C. Raht, B. R. Denman, N.E.-Lavie and S.J. Briggs and printed in the Illinois, U.S.A. The series consists of three two-book programs.
In Contract, Level 1 and 2
On Target, Level 1 and 2
In charge, Level 1 and 2
Together with Student Book, each level of the series contains the components, “Workbook”, “Audio Cassettes” and Teacher’s Edition.
THE APPROACH EMPLOYED BY THE BOOKS IN THE SERIES
First you must accept that the structural approach is superior to all of the other approaches due to the reference the name alludes to. Since, with all methods and approaches, we base on and teach “the structures.” If they mean sometihng else with “ the structural approach” then, they should take another call to refer to what they intend, or there might be a terminological confusion.
No doubt that the SCOTTFORESSMAN SERIES is written basing on a mixture of notional, functional and communicative approaches because we see many notional, functional arrangements studied through very nice communicative designations. You can understand it when you look over the book and even from the contents. Here are the evidences:
1- The units in the series are all towards our actual and daily communication affairs and needs.
For example, the first unit in the first book is “Greetings” and the last unit is “Describing People”. They are all towards teaching “functional grammar”. However as I said before, we can never deny the structures which are the body of the functioning or energy; so the book also gives frames of structures we need when we want to produce verbal functioning on these subjects.
2- The titles of the units are all functional terms (Unit 2: Business or Vocation. Unit 11: Plans and Predictions) There is no grammatical title like “Simple Past Tense”. The learners get ready psychologically to study a social or communicative affair when they see the title.
3- The visual aids designed in the units are all about a function: (Unit 4: The topic is “dressing” and “colors” so the pictures include people wearing different clothes in different colors. Two different functions are in the same unit here: “Clothes” and “Colors”.
4- We don’t see monotonously designed dialogues as those in the grammar or structure teaching approaches. The sentences of interaction of the heroes are not generally measured, but free. They are like in real life communication: (Page 55, First book).
TED- Do you want a drink? They have juice-orange, apple or grape.
SUE- Yes, I’d like some apple juice. Thank you. How often do you come to the health club, Ted?
TED- Oh, I come every day! I like the Fitness Club.
SUE- Me, too! What do you think Alona?
ALANA- Good-by TV and hello Fitness Club!!
5- We understand that the design-pictures, dialogues, drawings in the units are to make the students aware of the functional purposes.
OBJECTIVES
Every book of which purpose is to teach English should have some general objectives like speaking, writing, reading and listening for comprehension. So the design, prosedure, dialogues and other activities of a book should direct the learning and teaching phase towards this aim.
SCOOT FORESMANN BOOKS having characteristics of functional, notional and communicative approaches also attains the aim of communicative skills towards functions and notions preferred by the authors. In the books there are “student speaking and listening”, “reading” “writing” and also “tape listening” parts to realize the communication objectives.
We should accept that the students are in the center in teaching using these books. All of the dialogues, exercises, reading passages, listening and speaking parts are exactly towards the students. The teacher’s books are also formed and aimed for a student -centered teaching. If the teacher carries out the directions prepared by the authors to direct the teachers, the students will surely attain the communicative skills. The very well arranged practices in the work-books are also to reinforce the students’ communicative skills and to cognize the structures in terms of selected functions.
What told above are to be the objectives which are linguistic in depth and they are very clear to both the students and the teacher by the design and instruction. There are symbols defining the parts, to make the learners and the teacher realize about what objective they are after at that moment.
Since every unit is for a social function, the books also has socio-functional objectives. To attain such objectives, as mentioned before, the units have been carefully designed and accompanied with very maningful pictures and ordered carefully from the easy to the difficult.
Just at this point we have to talk of a few example in the first unit, since, English teachers will know, the different pronunciations of “letters used alone and used in words” confuse the learners. And Exercise 6 (p:9): What is six and two? -Six and two is eight. To write the numbers as in this shape is wrong. This kind of shape of adding is wrong. It causes a confusion or a little chaos in brain nerves because lingual directing on the brain nerves is horizontal (six and two are eight) but related visual directing on the brain nerves is vertical . “The authors are not neurologists of course.” In addition to these mistakes there are some idioms used only in the U.S.A., which is thought to be unnecessary by me.
The studying items direct the students to critical thinking skills as classifying, sequencing. Making inferences and drawing conclusions thereby allowing them to learn effectively.
To get the students to realize what the unit objective is, lesssons start with a general talk about pictures in the past “warm up”.
INSTRUCTIONS
Instructions have been carefully formed in general. The words in the instructions are very common. They don’t get tired trying to attain the meanings of the instruction. When they understand the instructions, they are more motivated to study the practices and exercises.
Examples: 1. What are the numbers?
2. Fill in this form for Kenji.
3. Work with a partner. Who is talking? Who are they talking to?
(Several answers are possible).
About the last sentence in the last instruction: They haven’t yet learnt the words “several” and “possible”. Then teacher will teach to the meanings of the words. As seen the author doesn’t prefer the sentence “several answers may be given”. In this case, even the sentence may seem easy to the teacher, it will not be easy for the students because there are two structures here which haven’t been studied yet by then, and enough to confuse the learners.
It is also a fact that the most disadvantagous part of the SCOTTFORESSMAN Books is also about the instructions.
1- There are ten activity parts in every unit.So there are ten instructions including sub-instructions.The lot of instructions make the students tired unconciously, howsoever.
2- Some instruction sentences of the “speaking”, “reading”, “writing” and “speak out” parts are very long, and are like a reading passage. So it demotivates the students.
3- There are instructions, few even, which include four sentences which are in different letter sizes and colors.
EXERCISE TYPOLOGY
Practices and exercises in SCOTTFORESMAN ENGLISH are very easily understood. When the students read the instructions, they know what to do. Most of the exercises have an “example” first. Together with the workbooks, practices and exercises are enough to learn the related subject (We know that real life experiences are needed to learn a subject better).
When you see the exercises, you see that they are effective in terms of both procedure and objectives of the units. Exercises in the book are towards developing children’s four communicative skills. They are not dogmatic and cramming (or mechanical). (I believe also the use of mechanical exercises since such exercises make the records of the studied “true” linguistic materals in the related nerval part of the brain).
The exercises in SCOTTFORESMAN books are communicative and meaningful. They make you think and do in very realistic communicative and meaningful examples. There is not any mechanical exercises in these books.
Exercises generally provide enough guidance for both the learners and the teachers, but there are a few of them of which guidance are not enough and the teachers falls into a difficult position in the classroom. I remember it from my experiences in the classroom.
Exercises leave room in general for various learner and teacher strategies. They are also varied and in content and task type.
Example: (Page 22 in Contact one).
EXERCISE 2: Can you Sing?
Work with a partner. Ask and answer questions.
A- Can you sing?
B- Yes, I can. Can you drive a bus?
A- No, I can’t.
There are 14 pictures near which there are 14 verbs in a column style. Verbs are not written under the pictures. They can find the verbs from the column or remember looking at the pictures. Even they can cover the verbs and only use the pictures. They are quite meaningful and of pleasure. They are not to give one answer. They think their position and answer relating to their own lives.
The types of the Exercises.
I. Listening - Comprehension Exercises
II. Substitution Exercises
III. Conversation Exercises
IV. Pronunciation Exercises
V. Question- Answer Exercises
VI. Matching Exercises
These exercises are certainly meaningful, communicative and productive by the design of them in the SCOTTFORESSMAN Series.
Also these exercises at every stages of the lesson such as presentation stage (Listening, Conversation, Question and Answer Exercises), Practising Stage (Listening, Conversation, Pronunciation, Matching Exercises), and Production Stage (Conversation and Question-Answer Exercises).
The exercises in the book direct the students to develop their listening, writing , reading and speaking skills in meaningful and communicative arrangements. Therefore the exercises are enough and appropriate for a good way of teaching.
STAGING OF THE LESSONS
As I noticed, there is not a clear separation between the stages; presentation, practice and production. Students are very active and in the centre of every stage. While the teacher is presenting a subject, he always takes help of the students thereby causing the student practice the language more. So we can say every stage provide students with communicative skills.
A unit in SCOTTFORESMAN Books consists of these stages:
WARM UP: Units open with the part “Warm Up.” This part involves the students in the theme of the new unit. “Warm Up” parts also include very nice visuals which helps for a better interaction.
CONVERSATIONS: After the part, Warm Up, there is one or two parts of conversation selected through the target topic and which appears on the Audio Cassettes. You need or listen to them first.
After reading conversations, there are comprehension questions.
VOCABULARY: After conversations, a list of new vocabulary is given together with a vocabulary testing exercise “Vocabulary Check”: You put the right word to the blanks.
WORD FOR WORD: This part is for words which can be under a special categorization like “prefixes”, “suffixes”, “-ed adjectives”. There is also an exercise here.
There is a very big mistake here. The title of the part “WORD FOR WORD” is an idiomatic phrase. The verbal translation of the idiom makes no sense for the students. So it is nothing more than confusing mind. It would be better to put the title “special” or “special word” or something like this.
GRAMMAR: Studied grammar structure is given here in scheme together with a number of exercises.
LISTENING: From tape-recorder and with an exercise.
PRONUNCIATION: If there is a problem sound it is taught here with a number of exercises.
SPEAKING: There is a topic to speak about with a partner. A guided exercise.
READING: Together with an exercise part.
WRITING: A study of the frame of the unit function.
SPEAK OUT: This part is an integration of all the studied material. They try to realise the task in speaking with a partner.
Note: The instructions for the parts Speaking, Reading, Writing and Speak Out are too long and tiring. So because the students are away from reading such instruction, they get bored and demotivated.
EVALUATION
To evaluate the success we or they attained with the target, there is a self-test part after every unit in the workbook. They do this activity to check themselves, teacher record their scores. This is a pleasing activity because students want to see at what degree they are successful.
Also you can give “dictations” to see their mistakes.
In addition in a relaxing manner, their communication skills are evaluated.
PAGE LAY OUT
This is one of the most important and affecting characteristics of a foreign language book.
In the case of SCOTTFORESSMAN Books, there are both very-well designed and very badly designed page lay outs. But in general the design of the pages, the inter-relative proportions of passages, pictures, schemes and frames are quite good. The dimensions or measures of the pictures are perfect; What meant is that they are not so big or small, and they are not boring but nice and lovely.
It must be though confessed that instructions of some parts are a little bit "confusing" (p:33 listening).
IN GENERAL
To conclude, the SCOTTFORESMAN English Teaching Books are very carefully designed books and with a great effort and self-denial. They are attractive and motivating for both the teachers and the students. Positive possessivenesses of the series are quite more than its slight negative possessivenesses. While the series is quite interesting and motivating the confusing elements can be given only by numbers. There is not even one crucial non-appropriacy in the book other than little lackings in the design.
LACKINGS
* We often meet idioms used in the U.S.A., idioms confuses the students in general, they necessitates more time to learn and we don’t use them every time in the real life. It would better not to put such idioms in the book.
* Some instructions are in forms of idioms. They are demotivating and not understandable. Like;
WORD FOR WORD
TALK IT THROUGH
ON THE TIP OF YOUR TONGUE. (On target 2).
* An example part of syllabus in the book, in Contact 1, Possessive Nouns are studied, examplified by the help of the verbs “have, has”. This is, may be, the greatest mistake of the book (P:26).
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