MCQ ON PEDAGOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

PEDAGOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

1.      Teaching and learning is a journey from

a)      Concrete to abstract

b)      Simple to complex

c)      Known to unknown

d)      All the above

2.      The method of teaching English adopted at present in school curriculum is

a)      Formative Correlational  Approach

b)      Functional Communicative Approach

c)      Function Corrective Approach

d)      Figurative Comprehensive Approach

3.      FCA is in opposition to

a)      Structural Approach

b)      Comprehensive Approach

c)      Translation and Grammar Method

d)      Functional Approach 

4.      Communicative Language Teaching replaced basically …

a)      Natural Language Processing

b)      Structural Teaching

c)      Situational Language Teaching

d)      Motivational Teaching

5.      Direct Method is also known as

a)      Natural Method

b)      Indirect Approach

c)      Inductive Approach

d)      All the above

6.      Grammar-Translation Method stresses on

a)      Accuracy

b)      Fluency

c)      Appropriateness

d)      Listening skill

7.      Grammar-Translation Method is basically used to teach

a)      Grammar

b)      Foreign language

c)      Rules of any language usage

d)      Classical language 

8.      The objective of Direct Method is

a)      To increase power of comprehension

b)      To increase communicative power

c)      To develop a command over the target language

d)      To develop personality 

9.      Grammar-Translation Method does not

a)      Encourage learning through mother tongue

b)      Give importance to grammar

c)      Enhance a student’s communicative skill

d)      Enable the student too use the language fluently

10.  Traditional method goes against the

a)      Prescriptive grammar

b)      Simulation

c)      Pedagogic principles

d)      Generalization

11.  The incidental or Correlative Method is known as

a)      Inductive

b)      Deductive

c)      Structural

d)      Reference method

12.  Journey from example to generalization is

a)      Inductive

b)      Deductive

c)      incidental

d)      All the above

13.  Inductive method proceeds from

a)      Heavy materials to light ones

b)      Known to unknown

c)      Simple to complex

d)      Both b) & c)

14.  Deductive method proceeds from

a)      Law and rule to observation

b)      Observation

c)      Generalization to specification

d)      Examples and illustrations

15.  One of the principles of materials preparation for language learning is that

a)      Complex material should be chosen

b)      Grading of materials should be done

c)      Any kind of material can be chosen

d)      A small amount of material should be introduced

16.  Correct pronunciation of individual sound is related to

a)      Accuracy

b)      Fluency

c)      Both accuracy and fluency

d)      Neither accuracy nor fluency

17.  Language accusation occurs only when

a)      The child is taught the rules of grammar

b)      The child is given a reward

c)      The child has exposure to the language

d)      The child absorbs the language without conscious attention

18.  When a child is asked to recite a poem, it can help the teacher to test

a)      Knowledge of literature

b)      Proficiency of speaking

c)      Acting talent

d)      Comprehension

19.  The structure ‘he goes to school’ is often produced by learners due to

a)      Failure of intelligence

b)      Mother tongue interference

c)      Overgeneralization of rules

d)      Wrong teaching

20.  For teaching grammar, the best grammar that a teacher can use is

a)      Traditional grammar

b)      Modern grammar

c)      Pedagogic grammar

d)      No grammar is needed

21.  A test of listening comprehension is a test of

a)      Receptive skill

b)      Productive skill

c)      Hearing skill

d)      Phonology

22.  Organization of arguments and ideas in paragraphs is an important aspect of

a)      Writing essays

b)      Writing memos

c)      Writing stories

d)      Writing personal letters

23.  ‘Brain storming’ means

a)      To collect all kinds of ideas on a topic

b)      To do some mental exercise

c)      To make efforts to understand something

d)      To give some kind of stimulus to the brain

24.  ‘Interactive’ listening is

a)      Listening and responding

b)      Listening for mood and tone

c)      Listening for word stress and emphasis

d)      Listening for finding out speaker’s attitude

25.  Which of the following is an incorrect assumption in language teaching

a)      Learners acquire language by trying to use it in real situations

b)       Learners’ first language plays an important role in learning

c)      Language teaching should have a focus in communicative activities

d)      Language teaching should give importance to writing rather than speech

26.  Reading skill can be developed best by

a)      Writing answers to questions on text

b)      Focusing on the use of words from context in the text

c)      Doing vocabulary exercises

d)      Doing quizzes and playing word games

27.  Mother tongue influence can be effectively minimized in the classroom by

a)      Using the mother tongue more often

b)      Giving examples from the mother tongue

c)      Giving a lot of exposure in the target language

d)      Giving inputs from the target language in a simple, graded manner

28.  Practice of grammatical structures in a controlled manner can be done by

a)      Correcting wrong sentences produced by learners

b)      Gap-filling grammar exercises

c)      Writing paragraphs and essays

d)      Explaining the use of particular structures

29.  A test which is administered at the end of a language course is

a)      Diagnostic test

b)      Placement test

c)      Achievement test

d)      Memory test

30.    Study of meaning in a language is known as

a)      Syntax

b)      Semantics

c)      Morphology

d)      Linguistics

LANGUAGE COMPREHENSION TEST 1

LANGUAGE COMPREHENSION

ENGLISH

PASSAGE – 1

Most people can remember a phone number for up to thirty seconds. When this short amount of time elapses, however, the numbers are erased from the memory. How did the information get there in the first place? Information that makes its way to the short term memory (STM) does so via the sensory storage area. The brain has a filter which only allows stimuli that is of immediate interest to pass on to the STM, also known as the working memory. There is much debate about the capacity and duration of the short term memory. The most accepted theory comes from George A. Miller, a cognitive psychologist who suggested that humans can remember approximately seven chunks of information. A chunk is defined as a meaningful unit of information, such as a word or name rather than just a letter or number. Modern theorists suggest that one can increase the capacity of the short term memory by chunking, or classifying similar information together. By organizing information, one can optimize the STM, and improve the chances of a memory being passed on to long term storage. When making a conscious effort to memorize something, such as information for an exam, many people engage in “rote rehearsal”. By repeating something over and over again, one is able to keep a memory alive. Unfortunately, this type of memory maintenance only succeeds if there are no interruptions. As soon as a person stops rehearsing the information, it has the tendency to disappear. When a pen and paper are not handy, people often attempt to remember a phone number by repeating it aloud. If the doorbell rings or the dog barks to come in before a person has the opportunity to make a phone call, he will likely forget the number instantly. Therefore, rote rehearsal is not an efficient way to pass information from the short term to long term memory. A better way is to practice “elaborate rehearsal”. This involves assigning semantic meaning to a piece of information so that it can be filed along with other pre-existing long term memories. Encoding information semantically also makes it more retrievable. Retrieving information can be done by recognition or recall. Humans can easily recall memories that are stored in the long term memory and used often; however, if a memory seems to be forgotten, it may eventually be retrieved by prompting. The more cues a person is given (such as pictures), the more likely a memory can be retrieved. This is why multiple choice tests are often used for subjects that require a lot of memorization.

1. According to the passage, how do memories get transferred to the STM?

a) They revert from the long term memory.

b) They are filtered from the sensory storage area.

c) They get chunked when they enter the brain.

d) They enter via the nervous system.

2. The word elapses in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to:

a) passes

b) adds up

c) appears

d) continues

3. All of the following are mentioned as places in which memories are stored EXCEPT the:

a) STM

b) long term memory

c) sensory storage area

d) maintenance area

4. Why does the author mention a dog's bark?

a) To give an example of a type of memory

b) To provide a type of interruption

c) To prove that dogs have better memories than humans

d) To compare another sound that is loud like a doorbell

5. How do theorists believe a person can remember more information in a short time?

a) By organizing it

b) By repeating it

c) By giving it a name

d) By drawing it

6. The author believes that rote rotation is:

a) the best way to remember something

b) more efficient than chunking

c) ineffective in the long run

d) an unnecessary interruption

7. The word it in the last paragraph refers to:

a) Encoding

b) STM

c) Semantics

d) information

8. The word elaborate in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to:

a) Complex

b) Efficient

c) Pretty

d) regular

9. Which of the following is NOT supported by the passage?

a) The working memory is the same as the short term memory.

b) A memory is kept alive through constant repetition.

c) Cues help people to recognize information.

d) Multiple choice exams are the most difficult.

10. The word cues in the passage is closest in meaning to

a) Questions

b) Clues

c) Images

d) tests

PEDAGOGY OF LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

PEDAGOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Principles of Language Teaching

The modern approach to all language learning and teaching is the scientific one and is based on sound linguistic principles. The principles discussed below in no way claim finality: they are subject to change in the light of new facts exposed by linguists and language users. These principles are general principles and are applicable to English language.

1. Principle of Sound Priority: The sounds of English should receive priority. Sounds should be given their due place in the scheme of teaching. Sounds should not be presented in isolation. They should appear in proper expressions and sentences spoken with the intonation and rhythm which would be used by a native speaker.

2. Principle of Presenting Language in Basic Sentence Patterns: Present, and have the students memorise, basic sentence patterns used in day to day conversation. From small utterances the students can easily pass on to longer sentences. In case of learning mother-tongue, the student’s memory span can retain much longer sentences than those of a foreign language. The facility thus gained in a foreign language enables the learners expand the grasp of the language material in respect of sounds and vocabulary items.

3. Principle of Language Patterns as Habits: Real language ability is at the habit level. It does not just mean knowing about the language. Make language patterns as habit through intensive pattern practice in variety of situations. The students must be taught to use language patterns and sentence constructions with appropriate vocabulary at normal speed for communication. In fact the habitual use of the most frequently used patterns and items of language, should take precedence over the mere accumulation of words.

4. Principle of Imitation: Imitation is an important principle of language learning. No leaner by himself ever invented language. Good speech is the result of imitating good models. The model should be intelligible. Imitation followed by intensive practice helps in the mastery of the language system.

5. Principle of Controlled Vocabulary: Vocabulary should be kept under control. Vocabulary should be taught and practised only in the context of real situations. This way, meaning will be clarified and reinforced.

6. Principle of Graded Patterns: “To teach a language is to impart a new system of complex habits, and habits are acquired slowly” (R. Lado). So, language patterns should be taught gradually, in cumulative graded steps. This means, the teacher should go on adding each new element or pattern to previous ones. New patterns of language should be introduced and practised with vocabulary that students already know.

7. Principle of Selection and Gradation: Selection of the language material to be taught is the first requisite of good teaching. Selection should be done in respect of grammatical items and vocabulary and structures.

Selection of language items should involve

·         Frequency:     how often a certain item or word is used

·         Range:            in what different contexts a word or an item can be used

·         Coverage:       how many different meanings a word or an item can convey

·         Availability:    how far an item is convenient to teach

·         learn-ability: how far an item is easy to learn

·         teach-ability:  how far and item is easy to teach - in the social context

Gradation of the language material means placing the language items in an order. Grading involves grouping and sequence. Grouping concerns (i) the system of language, and (ii) its structures. Grouping the system of language means what sounds, words, phrases and meanings are to be taught.

Thus we have:

·         Phonetic grouping, i.e. grouping according to sounds. For example, words having the same sound are placed in the one group as, cat, bat, mat, pat, fat, sat; it, bit, fit, hit, kit, it, etc.

·         Lexical grouping, i.e., grouping according to lexical situations. Example: school, teacher, headmaster, peon, class-room, library. All these words are grouped around “school.”

·         Grammatical grouping, i.e., grouping according to similar patterns as, my book/ his book, (pattern grouping): in the room, in the corner/ in the class/in the garden, etc. (phrase grouping)

·         Semantic grouping, i.e., grouping according to meaning. Example: school, college, university; bicycle, rickshaw, car, tonga, train, aeroplane, etc,.

·         Structure grouping, i.e., grouping in the structures means how the selected items fit one into the other-the sounds into the words, the words into phrases, the phrases into the clauses and sentences, and the sentences into the context.

Sequence means what comes after what. Sequence should be there in the arrangement of sounds (phonetic sequence), phrases (grammatical sequence) words (lexical sequence) and in meaning (semantic sequence). Sequence of structures implies direction, expansion, variation and length of the structures.

8. Principle of Oral Way: Experts believe that the oral way is the surest way to language learning. Prof. Kittson rightly observes – “Learning to speak a language is always the shortest road to learning to read and write it.” Prof Palmer also writes: “We should refrain from reading and writing any given material until we have learnt to use its spoken form.”

9. Principle of Priorities of Language Skills: Listening (with understanding), speaking, reading and writing are the four fundamental skills. Listening and speaking are primary skills, while reading and writing are secondary skills. Reading and writing are reinforcement skills. They reinforce what has been learnt through understanding and speaking. In fact, understanding and speaking speed up the reading process. Writing should be introduced after reading.

10. Principle of Multiple Line of Approach: “The term multiple line implies that one is to proceed simultaneously from many different points towards the one and the same end. We should reject nothing except the useless material and should selected judiciously and without prejudice all that is likely to help in our work”. In teaching a language, it implies attacking the problem from all fronts. Say, for example, there is a lesson on ‘Holidays’ in the text book. The teacher can have a number of language activities connected with the topic such as oral drill, reading, sentence writing, composition, grammar, translation, language exercises etc.

11. Principle of using language: Language Habit through Language Using: A language is best learnt through use in different contexts and situations. Prof. Eugene A. Nida rightly observes, “Language learning means plunging headlong into a series of completely different experiences. It means exposing oneself to situations where the use of language is required.” Another expert expresses a similar opinion by saying: “Learning a language means forming new habits through intensive practice in tearing and speaking. The emphasis should always be on language in actual use”.

12. Principle of Spiral Approach: The “spiral” approach to language learning should be followed. Previously taught vocabulary and structures should be reintroduced in subsequent units whenever logical or possible. This is “spiral approach.

13. Principle of Use Mother-tongue Sparingly: The mother-tongue should be sparingly and judiciously used during teaching English. Of course, at the early stage, some explanations will have to be given in pupil’s mother tongue. It is important that students do not use their mother-tongue in the classroom.

PSYCHOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES OF TEACHING ENGLISH

It will not be out of place to list down certain principles which have been derived from the science of psychology.

Motivation: Motivation is an important factor in language learning, particularly in learning a second language. It creates interest as well as the need to learn the language in hand. If the need for the language we use is felt, it is learnt easily. Pupils’ interest can be aroused in a number of ways, and language learning can be made increasingly interesting and attractive. It can be done with the help of pictures, charts, models, flash cards, black board sketches and similar other visual devices. The use of tape-recorder can be most effective in the teaching of pronunciation. The aim is to have the students maximally exposed to the target language in variety of contexts and situations, not in isolation. The teacher should prompt connections, feedback and correct errors, if any. The rule is teach, test, reteach and retest. The teacher should make continual and significant use of language material in class-room situations. Palmer suggests the following six factors which lead to motivate and create interest among children:

Ø  The limitation of bewilderment, that is, minimum of confusion;

Ø  The sense of progress achieved;

Ø  Competitions;

Ø  Game-like exercises;

Ø  The right relation between teacher and student; and

Ø  Variety.

Immediate Correction: Do make corrections. Corrections make all the difference. They help in improving pupils’ responses. But remember, when corrections are made, they should be made immediately. Moreover, the corrections should be made in such a way as will bring about learning and not frustration or discouragement.

Reinforcement: Immediate reinforcement is an important principle. It has been experimentally proved that reinforcement of correct responses helps in better learning. The student should be told his response is correct immediately after it is given by him.

Frequent Review: An important psychological principle is the principle of frequent review. Frequent review and re-entry of the same material is necessary for retention. During the process of reviewing, variations in material should be essentially be introduced and practised.

Correct Responses: It is an important psychological principle that classroom activities should strengthen the language skills. The techniques used by the teacher of English should encourage the maximum rate of correct responses. This will give children the feeling of success, achievement and assured progress.

Practice in Everyday Situations: A language is best learnt when its need is felt in everyday situations. So, English should be practised in everyday situations with which children can easily identify.

In short, the children, their environment and their experiences, should be the starting point. Let them recall (and, they should be helped, if they fail) something familiar which is related to or contrasts with a new language item to be learnt.