Challanges of Teaching English : Language Difficulties reet

Language Difficulties 

Challanges of Teaching English : Language Difficulties

1.  Controversy regarding the place of English

  Until 1947, English language had continued to occupy an important place in the administrative and educational spheres of the country for about 200 years; but after the attainment of independence, study of English has become a controversial issue both for political and educational thinkers. Broadly speaking, there are three views regarding the place of English. One view is to abolish the teaching of English altogether. Another view is to continue it as a permanent associate official language of the country and teach it as a compulsory second language both in Hindi and non-Hindi regions at the school level. The third view is in favour of retaining it as an optional subject and teach it as a third language in the school curricula. Unfortunately this sort of controversy is the result of emotional outpour­ings. All these controversies have created problems in effective teaching of English as a second language in our schools.

2.  Overcrowded classes

  The population explosion in our country has resulted in an ever-in­creasing rush in schools and colleges. Over-crowded classes have made it difficult to pay proper attention to realizing the language-teaching objec­tives. Learning a language is a skill that requires individual attention, which unfortunately, cannot be given in over-crowded classes.

3.  Sub-standard text-books

  Another problem in the way of effective teaching of English is related to the text-books. The text-books prescribed for different classes in our schools are of poor standard.

  Spelling misprints, poorest quality of paper and meaningless and un­attractive illustrations are some other drawbacks of most of the text-books. No wonder if it has a negative bearing on the effective teaching of English.

4.  Ineffective teachers

  The foundation of English language is laid by those teachers as are not fully competent to teach it. Sometimes non-English hands are given to teach English simply because the post of an English teacher has not been filled up in some schools. A good percentage of English teachers consists of those who have passed their Bachelor's degree examinations as private candidates with English as an optional subject. A person whose own foun­dation of the language is poorly bricked with, cannot be expected to do justice with the teaching of English, because fundamentals of English lan­guage are not clear to him.

5.  Defective Teacher-Education System

  In Colleges of Education, language teachers are not imparted thorough knowledge of the 'subject. The content side is generally neglected. The result is that student teachers lack proper training in the use of language

6.  Lack of suitable language-teaching aids

  Most of our schools are starved of funds. They are not in a financial position to equip the schools' laboratories with costly teaching aids. Tape-recorders, cassettes of language teaching, linguaphones arc useful audio aids that can be used for effective teaching of English language, but due to shortage of funds, a majority of schools finds it difficult to purchase them. Schools which have these facilities do not bother to make proper utilisation due to lethargic attitude of teachers.

7.  Ineffective methods of teaching

  Language skills can be acquired only through practice. We see that a child learns his mother-tongue without being conscious of it. But English is taught as a second language and therefore natural situations of learning a foreign language are not available to him in the class.

8.  No timely checking of home-work

  The home assignment given by the teachers is seldom checked timely. Checking and evaluation of learning must go simultaneously with teaching otherwise the teaching will not be effective. Unfortunately, pupil's errors are least detected and corrected by the teachers. They simply tick mark the answers and put their signatures as a token of having checked the work as a matter of routine.