Teaching English to School Students
Pakistan is a multi lingual country with a variety of languages. The demand that such a multi lingual society puts on the school system in the field of language education is great. Much emphasis is also put on the teaching of English as second language in Pakistani schools.
Pakistan attained independence in 1947, and soon after it was declared that Urdu would be the national language where as English shall be taught as a compulsory subject from grade 6 to graduation. Four other regional languages were also recognized for use in our education system namely, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto and Baloochi.

Medium of instruction in the classroom in
Pakistan has always been a controversial issue. There are two discrete groups of educators who advocate either English or Urdu be the language as medium of instruction in our schools. “Urdu is taught as a compulsory subject of study in some regions only up to class VIII. It should be taught as a compulsory subject up to VII, as is the case with Bengali in
East Pakistan. In those schools where English is the medium of instruction, the national language should be taught as a compulsory subject. Its teaching should start at the same time as in other schools and should be given the same importance” (Report of the commission on national Education: 1959. p: 290). “English may be used as one of the mediums of instruction, in addition to Urdu or a Provincial language” (National Education Policy: 1992. p: 25).

In the year 2002, Government of the
Punjab decided to introduce English as a compulsory subject from grade 1 without declaring whether medium of instruction is Urdu or English for the teaching of English language. The background knowledge is very useful for the teachers who teach English at school level as they have to know their role in the teaching/learning process of English language teaching. It is also imperative for them to acquire necessary but effective means by which they can fill their role. Therefore, they need to have clear objectives to teach English effectively.

In our system of education English is considered as a second language. The technical use of this term “second” here means that the learners/students must learn the language in such a way that they will be able to use it in their future academic life i.e. from grade 6 to onward. English should be taught in such a way that the students may be able to deal with simple grammatical, phonological and syntactical problems easily. Further, they should also be able to talk in simple English both in and outside the school. For instance, they should be able to talk about their parentage, their class and school and greetings etc.

It is important, therefore, that the teachers of English clearly understand the aims and objectives of teaching of English at school level. They are expected to carefully read the syllabus recommended for different levels. They are also expected to focus on the effective development of the pupil’s English language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Here it is also emphasized that by the end of the school courses pupils should be able to use English as a tool of comprehending more difficult language items.

In brief, the following objectives are earmarked for each of the skills to be acquired.

1. A student should listen carefully, understand what is spoken to him / her in some simple English, getting the intended meaning of the speaker and responding, in simple English, to any statement, order, argument and questions.

1. A pupil should express, in very simple English, himself / herself in order to convey the meaning intended.
2. A pupil should read fluently either aloud or silent, understand materials written in English that is within the framework of the primary English course.
3. A pupil should write logically and legibly in simple but correct English according to the needs of primary classes.

On the other hand a teacher should strive to possess a good command of English. He/she should plan lessons very carefully because the teacher has to be sure of what he/she is going to teach. The teacher should make maximum use of his/her time. Learning a language is a practical experience and learners should therefore be given practice in using the language. A good teacher of English language should encourage his/ her learners to be as self sufficient as possible. This can be done if the teacher takes into account the learner’s interests and needs. He/she should encourage them to read on their own as much as possible. The teacher should also be more cooperative than authoritative because when the teacher is authoritative he / she is asserting himself / herself as an authority. The learners have to look up to the teacher for knowledge, and his/her lesson is teacher centered. When the teacher is cooperative, welcomes input from learners and so allows maximum participation from them. They interact with the teacher and with one another.

The maximum practice they get in expressing themselves gives them confidence to use the language outside the classroom. A good teacher assesses his/her achievement at the end of the lessons and thinks of ways of improving his/her teaching in future lessons. From all that has been said it is clear that a good teacher needs to be dedicated to his profession.

When teaching, the main task is to teach the children to use language for the purpose of communication. Teacher’s English lessons should focus on effective development of the language skills. In order to develop learner’s skills in communicating, the teacher has to overcome:

1. The size of the class (it is hard to involve all the pupils if the class is large unless means are devised for individualized assistance).
2. The arrangement of the class (the teacher may want to change the way children sit in order to help communication).
3. The numbers of hours available for teaching English language (the teacher has to divide time between the four skills he/she needs to develop in the pupils).
4. The syllabus (which may not tell him/her how much time to spend on each skill).

It is important to point out that teacher of English is a guide and a giver. He / she should attempt to provide the best conditions for learning.

1. He/she is a means to an end – an instrument to see that learning takes place.
2. He/she must always be with his/her class.
3. He/she cannot be replaced by any mechanical aid. Whatever mechanical aids he/she uses to teach, should support and reinforce the skills he/she is teaching.

The teacher’s role is essential because he/she can judge the varying needs of the learners. Especially, he/she has roles to play at different stages during the teaching of English. It is only by accepting their roles the teachers can begin to see why they must vary and adjust their methods to suit the content and their pupils. The teachers are also models. Whatever they do or say must be an example of correct use of language for the pupils to copy. Therefore, the teachers must make sure that pupils make as few mistakes as possible – make sure they make pupils give them the correct responses. This will encourage them to learn more of the language.

The teachers are also expected to assess the progress of their pupils. The teacher has to assess his/her pupils first to find out what they know or at what level they are before the teacher begins teaching them. This is called diagnostic assessment. They can also assess their pupils to find out if they have acquired what has been taught to them. This is called achievement assessment. However, during the course of teaching the teacher may ask his/her pupils a variety of oral questions to find out if they are following and grasping what they are learning. The teacher, therefore, is asking for feedback from them. The pupil’s answers, which give the teacher feedback, enable the teachers to make sure that they and their pupils are achieving the planned objectives for the lesson taught.

The teachers must remember that their students can never be the same in their qualities. Even if they were carefully selected, there are individual differences. These differences may certainly be in learning skills, aims, interests, background and above all personality. They cannot afford to ignore these differences. They have to accept the reality and devise activities and experiences that will gradually minimize these individual differences. They should, therefore, view the teaching process as kind of shaping process from start to finish. Such individual differences have got to be considered in classroom planning of the teaching/learning process of English language.

The way in which each learner digests and understands what the teacher teaches may be very different. At the practice stage, the teachers must begin to take their individual differences into account and suit the practice to individual learners. Not all pupils, for example, can answer a particular question; not all pupils will want to. The teacher, therefore, should try to re assure them and not threaten or embarrass them, but encourage them to try and participate actively. Then, at the production stage, the teacher only intervenes when correcting or taking care of their individual differences. The activities at this stage give the pupils opportunities to express themselves as individuals. They help the pupils develop the language skills they need in order to express themselves effectively.

The major objective of teaching a language is to enable the pupils to take part fully and successfully as a member of a community in which the language is used. Thus, language has a social function. For the pupil to communicate intelligibly in a community, he/she must acquire the vocabulary and grammatical structures of the target language. Hence, the mastery of the structures (or grammatical patterns) of the language will be one of the major goals.

A teacher must remember that language learning involves a step-by-step mastery of the system of the language, especially the grammatical system. By using grammatical structures correctly, the learner eventually develops the ability to use language for different purposes.

Generally, the teacher should try to teach the learners the proper grammatical structures. He/she can always get such structure from the learners’ course books. However, the teacher should remember that practical situations outside the classroom may not permit the pupils to use all they learn in the classroom. That is why the teachers should give their pupils opportunities to develop their use of the language in real life situations. These situations will enable them to select and adjust what they have learnt in the classroom to suit the environment and their own needs. The teacher should, therefore, remember the following three points.

1. The teachers should make sure that the language material- the vocabulary and structures which they teach the pupils at the presentation stage and which they subsequently practise are selected for their communicative value.

2. At all stages of learning the teacher should emphasize the appropriate use of language – language as it is used in social situations for communication.

3. As it has already been mentioned that the teacher should allow pupils to try out the language for themselves through well-planned and relevant activities in the classroom. He teacher should give them the immediate use of the language. This, too, gives them immediate satisfaction. They come to realize language as something real.

These three points emphasize and reinforce the need for a practical approach to teaching language. Proper selection, organization, presentation, practices and production of language in real life situations makes real and alive to the learners.

The role of teachers as a fundamental success factor in terms of what happens at school and in the classroom is significant. Indeed, the teachers determine the behaviors, attitude and performance of the children, as well as the quality of teaching. They also influence the relationship between the school and the family. Teachers in our society, especially, in the countryside have ideal position and are consulted whenever the community members face any problem; social or educational. It is because of this particular position teachers can bring about positive results in the increase of literacy rate and the promotion of education. But there are some cautions for the teachers as well, which are necessary to be followed.

The teachers should avoid:

• any act of discrimination between poor and rich students;
• any behavior that suggests economical instable families’ children are less capable than well off ones;
• any physical, verbal or mental violence susceptible of having the dignity of children or hindering their full growth.

On the contrary, it is strongly suggested that the teacher:

• trust the children and encourage them to express themselves;
• give them responsibility in the process of acquiring knowledge by implementing active methods to improve learning;
• fully integrate themselves in the local community and its culture to use its educational resources to help school education;
• develop partnership –type relation with parents, community associations, local towns and NGOs to create a network to support school education;
• develop introspective (critical reflection on one’s own teaching and exchanges with other colleagues) to constantly improve one’s ideas and performance in the class.

Different steps in an English language lesson:

It is supposed that the teacher has prepared his/her lesson neatly on paper and, for example, intends to teach pupils the skills of listening and speaking. The following stages could appear in the lesson.

(i) At the first step the main job of the teacher is to serve as a kind of model or stimulator. He/she knows the language; selects the new material to be listened to and practised orally, then presents it in a way that makes its meaning as clear and as memorable as possible. The learners listen and try to understand. They do little talking, but they should not be passive.

At this stage, the teacher is the speaker and presenter. His/her role is to give enough examples, so that the learners get the correct language. This role, though, should not be prolonged unnecessarily. He teacher must also allow time for the children to practise what they have learnt.

(ii) Practice

At this stage, it is the turn of the learners to do most of the talking, while teacher’s main function is to provide them with the maximum amount of practice. This practice must at the same time be both meaningful and memorable.

The role is now different from that at the presentation stage or the first stage where the teacher does the minimum amount of talking himself/herself. He/she guides the learners to practise, making sure that as many as possible take part by giving correct response.

(iii) Production

No real learning can be assumed to have taken place until the learners are able to use the language for themselves. At any level of attainment they need to be given regular and frequent opportunities to use the language freely, even if they sometimes make mistakes as result. Thee mistakes can be corrected as they occur. However, free expression matters much more, and the greatest mistake a teacher can make as is to hold his/her students back.

The teacher is supposed to give students opportunities to use the language as they wish in real life situations. They will express their own ideas. They will also become aware that they have learnt something they can use. For instance, if the teacher has just taught a beginners’ class how to introduce themselves in English, he/she could then divide the pupils into pairs, and ask them to introduce themselves to each other. They need to learn to use what the teacher is teaching them. By such practice, the learners are therefore, encouraged to go on learning. This is how the teacher keeps learning alive. As the teacher provides the learners with activities for free expression, and he/she anxiously and keenly watches over them as they carry them out, the teacher takes the role of a guide. This is perhaps the most difficult role to perform. At the same time, the teacher realises that he/she is to contend with the syllabus and examination requirements. The teacher requires a lot of courage.

Further
ReadingsBarnes, D. (1976). From Communication to Curriculum. Harmondsworth: Penguin.Beard, R. (1998). Children’s Writing in the Primary School.
UK: Hodder & Stoughton.Bennett, N., & Carre, C. (1993). Learning to Teach.
London: Routledge.Billows, F.L. (1961). The Techniques of Language Teaching.
London: Longman.Britton, J. (1970). Language and Learning.
London:

.

Brown, H.D. (1994). Principles of Language Learning and Teaching.
New
Jersey: Prentice Hall Regents.

Byrne, D. (1977). Teaching Oral English.
London: Longman.Cameron, L. (2001). Teaching Languages to Young Learners. UK: Cambridge University Press.Celce-Marcia, M. ed. (2001). Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language.
USA: Heinle & Heinle.French, F.G. (1948-50). The Teaching of English Abroad. 3 vols.
Oxford: Oxfor University Press.Gurrey, P. (1955). Teaching English as Foreign Language.
London: Longman.Harmer, J. (2001).The Practice of English Language Teaching.
Essex: Longman Press.Morley, J. (1972). Improving aural comprehension. Ann Arbor:University of
Michigan Press.Nunan, D. (1991). Language Teaching Methodology: A Textbook for Teachers.
UK: Prentice Hall.O’Malley, J. M., & Chamot, A.U. (1990). Learning Strategies in Second language Acquisition.Cambridge
University Press. Protherough, R., Atkinson, J., & Fawcett, J. (1989). The Effective Teaching of English.
UK: Longman.Richards, J., & Rodgers, T. (1988). Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching. New York:Cambridge
University Press.Richards, J.C. (1990). The Language Teaching Matrix.Cambridge
University Press.Roberts, J. (1998). Language teacher education.
London: Hodder Headline.Steers, R.M., & Porter, L. W. (1991). Motivation and work Behavior.
New York: McGraw-Hill.Stevick, E. (1982). Teaching and learning languages. Cambridge:Cambridge
University Press.Tizard, B., & M. Hughes. (1984). Young Children Learning. London:
Fontana.

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