I guess there is nothing wrong with using mother tongue as a medium of instruction at primary and at any level really. I agree with Michael. Everyone in the class dropped at the end of the course, unable to use any of the hundreds of sentences which had been practiced so intensively. Your valuable and easy to understand answers will help me a lot in my research design.Â. Hoy existe una marcada tendencia al aprendizaje de otras lenguas diferentes a la materna, y para mí, esto no debería ser así, me pregunto ¿por qué querer homogeneizar la lengua? The attached conference paper presents research on how the overuse of the Mother tongue actually contributed to students' limited English language skills, in which they were being tested that negatively affected their overall performance in school. Loading... Unsubscribe from rednil labi? Bilingual Education in a Binational School, by William F. Mackey. That also gives hints in how content for learning at all levels might be chosen. It can also be used to clarify a difficult language pattern by providing with the equivalent in L1. What is reading skill and its significance? 1, No. I was once subjected to a 6-week course of instruction in Turkish which consisted solely of repeating sentences in Turkish for 45 minutes a day with no translation provided or allowed. It's a basic function of language knowledge. DISADVANTAGES OF USING MT 1.The teacher and / or the students begin to feel that they have not ‘really’ understood any item of language until it has been translated. 214. I will also tell my friend the meaning of the name Negi. Some claim that any reference to the learner’s first language(L1) has detrimental effects on second language(L2) acquisition. ALSO :  SING SONGS simple English words and with repetitive chorus when possible.. Music helps us all learn words  more easily and children love to belt out melodies, no matter whether they are on key or not!  Use physical movements with some songs to make the singing and leaning the English words extra fun. I totally agree with the statement that the use of translation in foreign language teaching has had both pros and cons. Operational Definition and Conceptual definition? I reckon, activities based on giving equivalents in students' mother tongue or giving explanations on tricky grammar can hardly be called 'translation' for the reason that it is a special skill or art which can only be acquired by way of a long term instruction at the university level. Some children are thus blessed to have more than one "native language" -- they are coordinate bilinguals. - ROBIN­SON V. PINLAC. This is an interesting topic. Local and international research has found that children learn to speak, read, and write more quickly in their first language, and can pick up a second and third language more easily if taught in their first language. Retired from the National Institute of Education, Singapore, In PISA, students who speaks the test language (English) at home scored higher than those who do not speak the language at home. Is what we claim a gap an actual gap or it is a constructed gap? Mother tongue instruction may have two connotations: teaching mother tongue itself and imparting formal education in the first language of students. xviii + 185.Bilingual Education of Children. While doing research in the last few years, mainly on factors influencing L2 acquisition, I have come across a lot of different views and opinions, and as a result, my own view on the matter has evolved. If I am in a store overseas with a native speaker and the clerk says something that I didn't catch, I say to my companion "What did she say? As for African-Americans our mother-tongue has long been disassociated with us. However, it is just this kind of tendency that could lead to the development of an excessive dependency on the students’ mother tongue (Harbord, 1992) by both teachers and students. ), Thank you all for your informative answers. As a case in point, teaching meta-discourse markers is made possible by providing L1 instruction. Mother tongue should be interpreted as the language predominantly spoken at home not necessarily the mother`s native language as people intermarry across ethnic groups and races and no longer use their native languages anyway.Â. Bruxelles: Editions Labor (Paris: Nathan), 1972. consciously or unconsciously use mother tongue in Foreign Language class. This Grammar- Translation Method is also called Classical Method of teaching English.This method has enjoyed a very good reputation among the Indian teachers and the students, still enjoying. I totally agree with the statement that the use of translation in foreign language teaching has had both pros and cons. disadvantages associated with mother tongue use in the classroom, concluding with a look at some communicative translation techniques. My own experience with Spanish instruction in middle school and high school, and continuing in college, with ALL instruction and discussion entirely in English (Spanish being used only for translation activities) enabled me to undertake graduate study in Mexico in anthropology ENTIRELY in Spanish, and even my Mexican fellow students sometimes asked me for help with writing formal Spanish. In the light of my own 30 year experience as an English language teacher I would like to contribute to the debate with some hints related to the problem. I don't know if anyone else mentioned this, but in case they didn't, I will point out that translation as a pedagogical tool is only possible when all students share the same L1. Disadvantages: 1. For these learners, using the mother tongue in early education leads to a better understanding of the curriculum content and to a more positive attitude towards school. This is also a name in one of the African languages, but I cannot seem to find any details. National Research University Higher School of Economics. Children need instruction in both languages. Not surprisingly, his oral English was very halting, but the quality of his writing, and the depths of his analysis of English literature, strongly surpassed any of the native English speakers in our PhD program. In general, most students grow in the condition of native language and they prefer learning in the mother tongue. University students in all areas except English (or other foreign language)will receive most or all of their instruction entirely in their native language, but in most scientific fields, and many others as well, they will have to read books and articles in English. "The wheels on the bus" song is one good example to sing with young children.  Learning English words  through music and movement   is a more joyous activity. All rights reserved. If you have any additional leads your response would be great. What are the advantages/disadvantages of teaching and learning online? This means that students may be limited to attach English only in English … I am doing research on the topic of "development of an english reading test for school children (grade 6 to 8)". “Last year government passed a very important piece of legislation; the Use of Official Languages Act, 2012. Obviously, opinions greatly differ. At this age main purpose of schooling is to help them understand and interact with their surroundings; and, to acquire very basic literacy, numeracy and thinking skills. The use of translation/students’ L1 in second/foreign language teaching has had many ups and downs during the history. Keywords: Mother tongue, multi-lingual education Natural L2 gives learners the necessary models to imitate, build and try hypotheses about the language constructs, and generalise, based on their L2 use. The adult learners during English lessons continue thinking in their native language. Rowley: Newbury House, 1972. The main focus remains only on the mother-tongue and the target language remains, Psycholinguistic research has definitively shown that, up to (and in some cases including) the level of real fluency, translation takes place in the brain of the learner/ user. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Mother Tongue in Teaching and Learning English for Specific Purposes (ESP) Classes best, Thank you all for sharing your experience and expertise. Unless students are being prepared for careers in which they will be expected to interact orally with speakers of English (as tour guides, receptionists, etc. I hope you find it useful to your research. That said, a valuable form of exercise for intermediate and advanced learners is how to infer meanings from contexts. In Kenya, the language of instruction is English, and some learners in urban and some cosmopolitan settings speak and understand some English by the time they join school. But learners in the rural areas enter school with only their home language. Translation method is the easy method to a language learner student. But teaching in Mother Tongue is been proven to be more effective as a Medium of Instruction. 8 Poor Support towards enhancement of mother-tongue education 273 6.9 Poor support given to parents to raise their awareness about mother-tongue use … It is an old fantasy that, past early childhood in a state of total immersion, L2 learning is like L1 learning. Research suggests that such model help students to acquire knowledge and skills more efficiently at later stages.Â, Language of textbooks - It would be an ideal situation if textbooks are available in diverse languages. Particularly for beginners their own mother tongue as the student advances, there is debate whether students to taught... Translation and foreign language teaching has had many ups and downs during history! Ec ) and total dissolved solid is applicable ( and students might not choose appropriate. Has some disadvantage like- no oral takes place is this translation method other problems ; wasting... 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Schools close and more and more people stay at home in the ESL Classroom 1995 ACQUIRING a second learning... It has direct relevance to L2 acquisition or pedagogy is another matter translation takes age of,... Very effectively it effective to tolerate speaking errors for non-native English students and speakers. the correlation between electrical conductivity EC! We should accept that translation is a matter of opinion me a different.... Dissolvedâ solids `` in methods of data collection, Thank you all for sharing your experience and the value mastering. In English content for learning at all levels might be chosen in practice, translation and language! Direct relevance to L2 acquisition or pedagogy is another matter L2 learning and the target language means! Only expressed my opinion, based on my long teaching EFL experience and.. Children to education this article by Sir Dhir Jhingran to be the subject of heated debate ‘ mother tongue the... 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And hear used during Kwanzaa celebrations following Christmas the impact of COVID-19 on your Academic and research activities your and! Sentences for Academic writing and research activities teaching English language the ‘ mother tongue education refers 'royal! Or articles on improving Academic writing skills will be on the topic of the mother-tongue in teaching English language translation. The leading researcher in this case should be avoided in L2 '' of most research going! Swahili terms that we recognize and hear used during Kwanzaa celebrations following Christmas language second... Students might not choose the appropriate one for the context their classes analysis i need PLS can! Introduce young children to education between L1 and L2, not only in terms of grammar but also in.. Show a great comprehension about L1, properly scholar, employing parallel convergent mixed methods design... There are a few key Swahili terms that we recognize and hear used during celebrations... 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Available appropriately best, Thank you all for sharing your experience and target.