I) Learning Background
1.1 Name : Khames Diuy Delil
Age: 35
Nationality : Sudanese
Firsl language: Arabic
Level of English : Elementary
1.2 The main differences between the learner’s first language , Arabic , and English lie in grammar and phonology :
Grammarically , the Arabic sentence word-order consists of verb , subject and object. The key word or phrase is at the beginning . In English , the sentence has a reverse order and key words or phrases are stressed . In addition , there is no diversity of tenses. For example , the auxiliary verbs used in English like verb{ to be }and{ to have} do not exist in Arabic. Therefore , the distinction between the present tenses and the perfect or contiunous tenses in form is very vague and unclear .
Concerning phonology , the alphabet in Arabic consists of 28 letters and does not have any silent ones. Meanwhile , Arabic is “ a stress-timed language “ ( Joanne Kenworthy , Teaching English Pronunciation , p.124 ) . Many unstressed syllables can be pronounced. English , by contrast , has a bigger number of vowels . The alphabet is 26 letters whereas the language phonemes are 44 . Most English words have one or more unstressed syllables. The vowel , in that syllables , is usually pronounced as / ∂ / . The pronounciation of these weak forms or stressing them as well as wrong usage of rising or falling intonation can cause misundersrtanding between the speaker and the hearer. Moreover , some phonemes like /t∫ / and / d∫ / do not exist in Arabic and form a real challenge to Arabic speakers. In addition , some words – when linked together – produce a new , “ intrusive “ ( Roger Gower , Teaching Practice Handbook , p.153 ) sound difficult for them to identify .As an example , on saying ( this year ) , they do not utter the / ∫ / sound because it is not present in the spelling .
1.3 The learner speaks a local language related to his region , called (Ama). It is a kind of an archiac language that is only spoken by the elderly. He cannot practice its written form and does not find any available sources to help him in that concern .
1.4 The learner dropped out from school in 1990 and did not continue his secondary education. He , starting from 2003 , joined St. Andrew’s institute for refugees in Egypt to take English courses. At school , he used to love the English classes , but the teachers followed a traditional method that relied more on accuracy , rather than fluency and practice. Therefore , he is really excited at his current classes as he has ample time to use the language in a real context.
He considers himself an effective language learner. He is keen to continue learning English till the advanced level. He also positively interacts in class with the teacher and his peers. In addition , he regularly reviews his lessons at home , speaks English with his roommates , listens to radion and watches T.V. programmes .Accordingly , he is patient , dedicated and has enormous perseverance to learn the language. ( attached is a questionnaire that sustains his self-image as an active learner )
II) Motivation
2.1 The learner wants to master the English language for being the most worldwide language so far. He wants to know more about the people and their culture. He also aspires to get a job.
2.2 The learnr wishes to go on learning the English language and reach proficiency.
2.3 He believes that he has to concentrate more on his listening ability . He , sometimes , misses some spoken words and may not be able to grasp the content or follow the speaker.
III) Learning Style
3.1 The learner attempts to use the language outside the classroom. He , mainly , speaks with his friends in English. He also listens to songs , watches programmes and movies . Sometimes , he writes e-mails or reads short stories . Generally , his target is to enhance his performane and develop his different skills – particularly listening and speaking.
3.2 He expects to practice listening and speaking in the class to aquire fluency.
3.3 On the othr hand , he hates noisy students who speak all the time. They disturb his thoughts .
3.4 The learner seizes any free time to study outside class time. He regularly revises his lessons , makes lists of new rules and vocab. and memorizes them in a context . To explain , he tries to study the new TL in chunks and rehearses a lot at home.
3.5 The learner can be classified under the communicative/auditory type . The teaching method applied deeply suits him as the teacher elicits the new form or vocab. from the students , enables him to do a restricted practice to check his understanding ensued by a free activity in which he adapts the language to a real life context and freely practices it regardless of his accuracy level. Later correction of his errors gives him a chance to revise his thoughts in tranquility. Furthermore , usig realia , visuals , and authenic materials assists him to learn the target language in context. Communicative activities like Pair and group work provide more time for him to speak in class and develop his fluency.
IV) Needs and Problems
Problems | Causes | |
1) Pronunciation The learner adds stress to the weak forms , especially in contractions . For instance , he says “ I am not … & there is … “ . He also substitutes the /z/ for /δ / : “there are ….” | The learner did not have enough chance to practice the language orally and did not have a correct model to echo . His prior learning experience at school focused only on memorization , not actual , real practice of the target language. | |
2) Grammar The learner has problems related to using the appropriate tenses , prepositions and pronouns. Some examples from his speech can be quoted in this particular respect : “All of my family is died … at the home … I am not understand … me listen … I am not work now… I am practice , I … sharing “ | The learner ’ prior learning experience was teacher-oriented. The focus was on blind accuracy which highly affected his liguistic proficiency on using the language in a real context. Though he knows some rules by heart , he cannot effectively express himself on using them. | |
3) the receptive skills ( listening ) During the interview , The learner could not follow some of the questions . he asked for a repetition . In class , he also has to listen more than once to the tape, particularly during the second listening for details . ( sub-skill) | The learner stopped learning english for years . He is still not in tune with the English sounds . On hearing the tape , he does not see gestures or facial expressions that can aid him to comprehend. This non-existence of vis-à-vis contact makes him under stress to get the meaning. Two or three times are required to have a clear mental image of the spoken situation. | |
4) Productive skills ( writing ) & The paragraph the learner ’s attached written work vividly indicates his problems : he does not follow any rules of punctuation . Many spelling mistakes can be detected. No coherence markers are used likewise. | It is evident that the learner rarely writes in English. His top priority resides in enhancing listening and speaking . |
V) Development
1) The learner needs more oral controlled practice. He should be aware of stress and intonation as well as similar sounds to improve his pronunciation. Reading aloud at home or repeating after a tape can help him to acquire the proper pronunciation.
2) The learner should approach a new method of learning that is student-centred. The teacher acts as a facilitator that provides him with explicit examples to practice the different forms in a suitable context relevant to life and to himself . He , meanwhile , can use coursebooks or try some on-line tests for further , accurate practice of new forms.
3) The learner needs to listen more – he tries to do so. He can listen to tapes at home or to the radio and gradually train himself to be more efficient in determining the speakers’ intentions. In class , more focus on listening for gist and then for details can greatly help.
4) The learner should pay more attention to writing in class. He can have a pen-friend to correspond with in the target language. Word-processing can also help him to improve. Writing many outlines, drafts and a diary or journal will enable him to lessen his errors.
From the interview , it is evident that the learner is in need of more practice of the present continuous tense as he confuses it with the present simple tense or uses it in a wrong form. Attached is a lesson plan that includes two activities , one for restricted , controlled practice and the other for a freer one to tackle that problem.
Tapesript
An interview
T: What’s your name ? Your full name ?
S: Khames Duiy Delil
T: How old are you ?
S: 35
T: And your nationality ?
S: Sudanese
T: What’s your first language?
S: Arabic
T: And your level of the English language ?
S: Elementary
T: You don’t speak any other languages ?
S: I speak Ama.
T: What’s Ama ?
S: Like a dialect. Old people only speak. There are no books.
T: Can you use it ?
S: I speak only , but no write.
T: Do you have a certificate ?
S: I left secondary school in 1990.
T: Why?
S: All my family is died. I also have backbone.
T: Did you like English at school ?
S: Yes, but old method , not as here. We didn’t practice. It wasn’t good.
T: When did you start learning Eenglish again ?
S: In 2003. I came here
T: Where did you take courses before?
S: In St. Andrew’s institute for refugees
T: Do you see yourself as a good learner ?
S: What? again , please ?
T: Do you see yourself as a good learner ?
S: Yes.
T: Why?
S: I speak at the home. I’m practicing with friends from Morocoo , Nigeriea , listen to the radio , watch T.V. and read some stories
T: Why do you learn English ?
S: The first worldwide language. I want to know more about the people , the culture
T: Can it help you to get a job ?
S: A job? Yes. I ’m not work now.
T: What’s your plan for learning English ?
S: What do you mean? I am not understand.
T: Do you plan to go on learning the language ?
S: If there is chance , I hope to continue
T: You don’t feel good in listening , speaking or what ?
S: Listening. Me listen to T.V. , sometimes there are missing words
T: Do you use the language outside the classroom ?
S: Yes , with my friends at home.
T: What do you like in your lessons ?
S: like ? I like teacher to explain more and more listening to be good
T: And what you do not like ?
S: When teacher says listen and some students cannot stop to listen. This is no good.
T: Do you study at home ?
S: yes. I read notebook , remember how teacher explains and try to do it again. I also listen and sharing with friends. I am try to speak fast.
T: Do you like working in pairs or groups ?
S: Yes , I feel freeful to speak
T: Thank you
Stage | Procedure | Aim | |||||||||||||||
Lead-in | T asks S about his daily routine and in class T asks S to look at a picture of some friends on the beach & asks about their relationship , feelings , …etc | To generate interest in the topic To arouse predictions & prepare him for the listening | |||||||||||||||
While-listening task | T asks S to listen & tell him the name of the speaker and the topic of his speech T plays the tape ( attached the tapescript ) T gets F/Back , plays the tape again if necessary T , then , asks S to listen again to answer some questions | To set a listening for gist task & confirm predictions To practice skimming To check the answer & establish the correct one To give a reason for a second listening | |||||||||||||||
T plays the tape for S to listen to the boy in the tape talking about what his friends are doing now. S has to write names on the picture and identify who is doing what. | To practice listening for details | ||||||||||||||||
Language focus | T asks S about the people in the picture : what is he/she doing now ? T checks the answer via concept questions : is she reading now ? Yes. Is her action complete at this moment ? No So , we do not know when she finishes. Does she read every day ? Maybe , but we talk about her at this very moment , we know nohing else before or after | To elicit the structure of the present continuous ( she’s reading …etc) To clarify the meaning of the TL | |||||||||||||||
Controlled oral practice | T conducts drilling & uses finger coding to point out contractions ( he’s playing , she’s reading ) T draws a substitution table on W/board to elicit more examples through prompts :
| To highlight the oral form of the language To familiarize student with the new structure & highlight the written form To give further practice & handle written problems related to verbs like ( write-writig & run-running ) To cover all the points related to the new form | |||||||||||||||
Controlled practice | T asks S to do an exercise & checks instructions ( attached is the exercise ) S starts to do the exercise while T monitors T gets F/Back | To set the restricted practice task To apply the new TL & differentiate between the present simple and the progressive tense To check answers & establish the correct ones | |||||||||||||||
Free practice task | T asks S to imagine ( what are his friends doing now ? ) T asks S to draw a picture of some of them & describe it or write a few sentences to read | To set the freer practice activity To personalise the new TL & use it in a new , real context | |||||||||||||||
Adapter from Interchange by Jack C. Richards , Cambridge U P , 1995
The listening tapescript
My name is Michael. We are at the beach. I am playing with Susan. My friend , Andy , is running at the moment. She is wearing a hat because of the sun. Jessica is swimming. Oscar and Lurie are not playing with us . They are sitting down : he is writing while she is reading.
The controlled practice exercise :
Put the verbs between brackets in the present simple or the present continuous tense :
It is March and it is really hot. The sun is ( shine ) and people (wear ) t-shirts. It usually ( rain ) in this city in March but today is nice. Now I ( go )to the park with my friend. She ( work ) in London , but she ( visit ) my city this month.
The free practice activity :
S draws a picture of his friends representing what they are doing now and describes it or writes a few senences to read using the TL and applying a new context related to his personla life.
