Md Sahin :
Language is an arbitrary vocal symbol that a group of people living in a particular geographical location use for communication between them. Every human being has at least one language to communicate and some are skilled in more than one. Some important languages in the world are English, Arabic, French, German, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, Bangla, Hindi, and Urdu. Some of the stated languages are recognized as the international languages; they are used as official languages in the United Nations. Our mother tongue is Bangla but English is taught as a foreign language in our secondary institutions with added importance. As an international language, English is one of the most popular and spoken languages in the world. It is the official language of international sports, trade and commerce, civil aviation and tourism. People having good skill in English, have the added opportunity to get better jobs in the local and the international markets.
As English plays such an important role in the world, the government of Bangladesh has made it compulsory from class one to twelve and beyond. The students of the said levels learn English to fulfill the curricular expectations and others usually try to learn English for their personal purposes. If one wants to learn a language, they will have to be aware of the four skills such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing. As listening, speaking, reading, and writing are skills, the learners have to practise a lot to learn them. Listening and reading skills are receptive skills as learners have to receive something through listening and reading. On the other hand, speaking and writing are productive skills as students have to produce something i.e. they have to speak out and write something.
Whether receptive or productive, it needs continuous practices to acquire the four skills of a language. No skill, whatever the skill is, can be achieved without recurrent practices. Is it possible to be able to operate a laptop unless one has practised? Of course, the answer is ‘no’.
Those who want to develop skills, they will have to practise it. So, language learners have to engage themselves in listening to English lectures, watching English movies, sports commentaries, English music, BBC and CNN news and so on; speaking English with teachers, friends and others; reading texts such as newspapers, textbooks, journals, magazines, leaflets, signboards etc.; and writing letters, applications, keeping a diary for developing the four skills.
Expert communicative English language teachers can help students in schools and colleges in developing four skills. Because of bad teaching of English teachers, only a small number of our secondary passed students can speak and understand English. The other two skills, reading and writing, are not also taught properly following the principles of CLT (communicative language teaching).Language learning starts with listening; a little kid first listens to the people around them and then tries to imitate the sounds they hear.
After that they try to reproduce similar sound as they hear from family and the people around. So it is better to start English language learning with listening, if possible. Learners will have to practise those four skills even though they commit mistakes. Mistakes are considered to be the good sources of learning. So, mistakes are not always bad! Unless learners do themselves, those four skills can never be developed. English teachers need to speak English with students creating language speaking and listening opportunities for students. This habit will improve teachers’ as well as learners’ English. The understanding of the spirit of CLT and its proper use in teaching English can make a huge difference.
(The writer is an English language trainer at BRAC – PACE program. He can be reached at email: [email protected])
Language is an arbitrary vocal symbol that a group of people living in a particular geographical location use for communication between them. Every human being has at least one language to communicate and some are skilled in more than one. Some important languages in the world are English, Arabic, French, German, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, Bangla, Hindi, and Urdu. Some of the stated languages are recognized as the international languages; they are used as official languages in the United Nations. Our mother tongue is Bangla but English is taught as a foreign language in our secondary institutions with added importance. As an international language, English is one of the most popular and spoken languages in the world. It is the official language of international sports, trade and commerce, civil aviation and tourism. People having good skill in English, have the added opportunity to get better jobs in the local and the international markets.
As English plays such an important role in the world, the government of Bangladesh has made it compulsory from class one to twelve and beyond. The students of the said levels learn English to fulfill the curricular expectations and others usually try to learn English for their personal purposes. If one wants to learn a language, they will have to be aware of the four skills such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing. As listening, speaking, reading, and writing are skills, the learners have to practise a lot to learn them. Listening and reading skills are receptive skills as learners have to receive something through listening and reading. On the other hand, speaking and writing are productive skills as students have to produce something i.e. they have to speak out and write something.
Whether receptive or productive, it needs continuous practices to acquire the four skills of a language. No skill, whatever the skill is, can be achieved without recurrent practices. Is it possible to be able to operate a laptop unless one has practised? Of course, the answer is ‘no’.
Those who want to develop skills, they will have to practise it. So, language learners have to engage themselves in listening to English lectures, watching English movies, sports commentaries, English music, BBC and CNN news and so on; speaking English with teachers, friends and others; reading texts such as newspapers, textbooks, journals, magazines, leaflets, signboards etc.; and writing letters, applications, keeping a diary for developing the four skills.
Expert communicative English language teachers can help students in schools and colleges in developing four skills. Because of bad teaching of English teachers, only a small number of our secondary passed students can speak and understand English. The other two skills, reading and writing, are not also taught properly following the principles of CLT (communicative language teaching).Language learning starts with listening; a little kid first listens to the people around them and then tries to imitate the sounds they hear.
After that they try to reproduce similar sound as they hear from family and the people around. So it is better to start English language learning with listening, if possible. Learners will have to practise those four skills even though they commit mistakes. Mistakes are considered to be the good sources of learning. So, mistakes are not always bad! Unless learners do themselves, those four skills can never be developed. English teachers need to speak English with students creating language speaking and listening opportunities for students. This habit will improve teachers’ as well as learners’ English. The understanding of the spirit of CLT and its proper use in teaching English can make a huge difference.
(The writer is an English language trainer at BRAC – PACE program. He can be reached at email: [email protected])
