English Is A Language

[أستاذ فوق المحك]

Here I am talking about my experience in teaching English. Even though I'm only a three years expert in teaching English. Linguists claim various theories about language. One theory that I believe it's not only a theory. It's a fact to me to be precise. This theory says that teaching a language differs than teaching any other subject in school. It's wrong to apply the same approach a teacher uses to teach science, for example, to teach some language. Every subject has its own methodology. I've been teaching the 3rd intermediate for three years. And I still notice that students deal with English the same way they do with other subjects, while English can be so much fun course to them. English should be wild to them not narrowed. Also, it shouldn't be taught as language only. The fun that I'm pointing to is the information about languages an English teacher can tell her students about. If such a thing is not fun enough or not fun at all, the teacher can include telling students about the culture where this language comes from. I know students nowadays are exposed and opened to knowing the culture of language since they watch TV and surf the net. However, the knowledge about this culture they have is not the knowledge that benefits them with language sake I believe. They may know how relationships work only. Like how a person can have a partner without being married and so on. Teaching a language should be wilder. Learning a language should be wilder as well. When I first taught English my students always complained that I don't translate vocabularies for them. I told them that my job is not to translate the language for you. My job is to teach you about the language and the culture it comes from. Also, to teach you some gaps that you may not realize in learning it. You are gonna have to seek for knowledge. You have to seek knowledge. I believe that giving students the knowledge won't do them good. Things that you have in grasp without doing even so little effort to get them are easy to fade and hard to be hold. The catastrophe is that some teachers ask their students to memorize vocabularies as an approach of teaching. Wrongly they don't realize that language is not to be memorized. It's to be acquired. The other catastrophe is the curriculum. And that's an issue that needs to have another thread. This is what I have for now. I thank you for having patience to read me.

[● Ṡeяεиiτч . . ☆]

استاذ فوق المحك

We teach our students not only English language but we always try to teach them our Islamic morals ,culture and traditions. So when I read something like this sentence(They may know how relationships work only. Like how a person can have a partner withou being married and so on.
I get mad and sad at the same time ,they shouldn’t think it is ok to think like this and our duty as teachers is to guide them to the right way not only in their educational life but also in their real life
Thank you for your topic & I hope I will read more and more of your topics
You have a great way of writing and presenting your ideas
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Best regards

[أستاذ فوق المحك]

Well, there are other subjects that are made to teach the students about their values as Muslims. You don't have to include such things in a foreign language education. I'm not against what you meant but I believe that since we're supposed to teach them a language rather than theirs, we're going to have to expose them to the language's culture. Regardless to whatsoever, we as teachers should give them the opportunity to criticize the information they get from daily life.


Thank you Sunlight
it has been really great having you

[Path Tracker]

Hello brot, talking about language teaching & learning here feels wears (4 me).
Most of the language teachers focus on memorizing vocabulary as u mentioned, have a quick look at the preparations; hence PP presentations ; u'll find most focus on vocab & presenting them even in Reading comprehension!!
A killing word to word explanation . When students are supposed 2 comprehend the text 90percent all by themselves.
SKILLS ... Is a neglected factor..

[أستاذ فوق المحك]

I would like to point to something usually we do as English teachers. We deliver lessons by Arabic and this is incorrect. Every approach one teacher adopts has to be done using the target language itself. One methodology I use to teach reading passages is underline some certain words so students translate them on their own. It's a strategy I've been adopting to make them understand the passages without having to detect every word meaning. The problem is that students are used to have information and knowledge without seeking them. A teacher should not give them words meanings. A teacher should let them look for them and force them to use dictionaries in order to understand the parts of speech as well as realizing meanings. I have found that students don't realize the parts of speech even in Arabic sometimes. I force my students to use dictionaries whether volumes or electronics. The process of seeking knowledge is a process of learning. A human usually tends to be lazy and needs to be forced by something in order to move ahead.

One last thing remains. Since we teach the target language by the students' mother tongue, skills like speaking and listening won't develop.