CC BY
122PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED IN TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE Khodjaeva G.D.
Khodjaeva Guzal Djakhonobodkhonovna - Teacher,
TEACHING LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT, MANAGEMENT IN PRODUCTION FACULTY, FERGANA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE, FERGANA, REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN
Abstract: the article under discussion depicts problems encountered in teaching English as a foreign language. The author of the article analyses and explains the main reasons of the problems under discussion which are of high appreciation to a teacher.
Keywords: problems, teacher, students, motivation, intrinsic, extrinsic, acquisition, classroom, activities.
As a teacher of English, I have had the opportunity to teach English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context. In contrast with an ESL (English as a second language) setting where the class is usually multilingual and living in the culture of the target language, in the EFL setting the class is usually monolingual and living in their own country. In each case, different resources can be exploited to meet the students' needs. This article examines the motivation level of the students, activity selection, the use of the students' native language (L1) in the classroom. I examine these particular aspects of teaching because of their practical significance; each addresses issues that will assist the teacher in creating the optimal space for learning in a variety of contexts.
Students motivation
Students' motivation was analyzed and categorized in different ways but now we can distinguish two main kinds: extrinsic motivation, which stems from a desire for an external reward, and intrinsic motivation, which consists of learning for personal reasons as an end in itself [1, p.p. 34-45]. In an EFL setting, intrinsic motivation can be low, and English may not seem relevant to the students since it is not part of their daily lives. In
many cases, they may be required to study English for a test or because it is a compulsory part of the curriculum [2, p.p. 56-78]. Also, EFL settings often involve large classes and limited contact hours, which makes learning English an apparently insurmountable challenge. What options does a teacher have when his or her high school or university class consists of 20-25 students and meets once a week for 80 minutes? Such a course, common in compulsory English study, simply does not offer enough exposure to the language.
Many of my EFL students lack the opportunity to experience English in their daily lives, and their motivation level can suffer when application in daily life is minimal. From all the researches that were made we say that teacher need to take to a consideration the human's psychological need to grow. They can begin by taking the students' motivation profile into account when they design a class and can then find ways to boost motivation when they perceive it is lacking. Age is one factor that can inform a motivation profile. With children younger than twelve, for whom language learning may come more easily, intrinsic drive can be harnessed if good strategies are used to hold their attention. Children can be content to study English for its own sake if learning it is fun and engages them. However, many older students, especially EFL students, may not care if they learn English if they perceive it as having no practical significance in their life. Because of that such students are statistically less likely to be motivated intrinsically to learn English, teachers need to use intrinsically motivating techniques. These include helping students see the uses for English in their lives, presenting them with reasonable challenges, giving them feedback that requires them to act, playing down the role of tests, and appealing to their genuine interests.
Choosing classroom activity
When choosing the classroom activities the teacher must deal with the fact that the students are probably not receiving any significant exposure to English outside of the classroom. Because of this lack of opportunity to speak English, teachers need to maximize fluency practice, getting the students to use the
language as much as possible in class and reducing emphasis on accuracy. To this end, teachers need to be judicious in their selection of speaking activities to ensure that students will use English.
Criteria for selecting EFL classroom activities. In an EFL class, an activity ought: to: have a visible, clear, and compelling objective; have English use built into the logic of the activity; not be too cognitively demanding to manage in English; be interesting to the students and appropriate to the students' level.
To meet these criteria, I often use games in which the rules require students to accomplish a task by speaking English only. Games provide an organizational framework that makes the activity more appealing and accessible to students.
Another thing I should mention that, students of EFL classes are to be engaged to talk only on English during their lessons, as it is summarized by Rose "the more students are exposed to English, the more quickly they will learn; as they hear and use English, they will internalize it to begin to think in English." [1, p.p. 34-45].
Analyzing the pedagogical implications of an EFL teaching environment sheds light on the best ways of how it should be taught. The most salient features from my experience - student motivation, activity selection, use of the students' L1, I feel that the more we discuss and solve problems on teaching the language on EFL classrooms and expose some of the issues that teachers, wherever they are, need to negotiate the less problems will be left to examine.
References
1. Rose K.R. Teachers and students learning about requests in
Hong Kong. In Culture in second language, 1999. P.p. 34-45.
2. Harmer J. The practice of English language teaching. New
York: Longman, 1991. P.p. 56-78.
