AN IDEAL ENGLISH SECOND LANGUAGE METHOD

English is a second language in our country, Malaysia. In school, we learn English as

the second language. There are a variety of techniques and method that the theorists found
based on their observations and investigations to improvise the methods of acquiring the
second language. The first language involves the initial linguistic experience while the
second language is mastered only by someone who already speaks another language.
Teachers are important agents in bringing about the success in English language learning. In
order to have effective learning, I have studied 12 methods or approaches in second language
teaching. In my opinion, an ideal method to teach the second language is by combining two
methods which is Desuggestopedia and Total Physical Response. I believe that all students
have their own uniqueness and their own abilities. I consider about their level of intelligence
too. The Multiple Intelligence Theory by Howard Gardner exposed about the variety of
learning styles of the students. Some of them could learn very well using music, body
movements and others. Based on this theory, I could say that the Total Physical Response
Theory and Desuggestopedia have the characteristic to let the students learn effectively in
class.
The characteristics of the classroom environment in Desuggestopedia must be
attractive to the students to learn. The classroom is set up with bright and cheerful colours. I
will influence the students creativity and also might help them to have a conducive
environment for them. Teacher provides positive environment in class with the cooperation
by the students to take care of their class. They might have to make a schedule to clean up
their class and have an organise class. In this method too, it emphasis on peripheral learning
which mean that the students could learn and perceive information much more in their
environment than they consciously notice. The class might paste with posters that contain the
lesson on that day or week. Teachers could exchange the posters weekly or monthly based on
their lesson or their syllabus. Teachers have to ensure their students get what they do in class.
Not only that, this method covers the student who has the ability to learn well using their
sight senses by looking and observing things around them. This method shows the good
relationships between teachers and students. It will avoid the affective filter for the students.
When the students and students get to know each other and mind about their barriers, it will
help the students to learn well. Teachers may give support morally to the students so that
they could feel secured and also it would motivate them. Using this method, the students
may improve their self esteem and be confidence to speak communicatively and read well in
1

the target language. If my students do any mistakes, I will correct them gently and guide
them well.
The first method that I have mentioned above is the best choice for me to combine it
with the other method called Total Physical Response. Teacher used their body language to
perform action with the students. I can see the relation between this method and the first
method because both of them have a good connection and interaction with their students.
When the teachers ensure the students got what they have to learn, the teachers exchange it
with different things that related to their lesson. It is effective for the children because the
teacher could recognise and know which of the students in the class is weak and which one is
already master. The teacher will have more focus for the weak children. Next, the teacher
use direct commands to direct behaviour by performs the actions first and then let the
students do it alone. It will show that the students understand it or not. Using this method
also could let the students to enjoy their lesson and at the same time the student get what they
learn. The Social Learning theory by Albert Bandura believes that the students learn through
their observation and imitations. In this method, the teacher acts as a role model for the
students. The students will imitate what they see and they will apply it in their daily life. The
role reversal in this method is very attractive for me because the students will feel free to do it
with teachers guide and they could learn their second language very well. Students may
learn effectively when they could use their body movements and also do cerative things in
their class.
When combining both theories, I knew that my future classroom going to be
decorated very well depending on the level of students intelligence. For example, if I am
teaching level 1 students in primary school, I will ensure that the colour of the class must be
attractive for them with posters, charts and everything that related to the lesson. Not only
that, the seating arrangement of the class also in different way and I will change it month by
month because I believes that the environment of the class give a big impact on students
learning. I will try my best for not using native language in my class because I do not want
my students to get confuse but if is necessary, I would use it as little as I could. Next, I will
apply what I have leant before during my Fondation Programme, called ARM (Active,
Reflect and Modelling). I want to be an active teacher that could interact very well with my
students because I know that the students will be very happy if I join with them to do the
activities such as singing, dancing, drawing and others.

My personality, attitudes and

teaching styles can increase and also could diminish my students interest to learn in English.
2

Based on the theories that I have combined, I could reflect myself to improve myself from
day to day.
Next, I will ensure that my teaching approach effective for my students and I would
prepared myself very well with my own lesson plans, resources such as textbooks,
workbooks, worksheets and others. The uses of demonstrations using teaching aids such as
visual aids, charts, music, video and others also could helps me lot with my teaching. I could
encourage students with their own creativity. Teachers are important agents in bringing about
the success in English language learning.Not only that, when using both methods, I could
covers the vocabulary and grammatical structure over the language areas. By doing the
different activities in class, I could ensure that the students could speak, write, listen, and read
well using the second language. Based on both theories too, I will design my performance
tasks, crafting questions for conferring with students, my own lesson plans using the
framework by Blooms Taxonomy based on the levels stated. I will never use drilling
methods because students will get bored and I do not want to limit their potential to be
creative and innovative. As a conclusion, I believe that by combining both theories, it is an
ideal method for me to teaching English in my future.

A REFLECTION ON MY DAYS OF LEARNING

ENGLISH AS SECOND LANGUAGE
During my School Based Experience (PBS), I went to my old primary school. Then I
realised that there are a lot of changes happening there. During my school days, I started to
learn English since I was in Year 1. But at that moment, I really hate English because I did
not know the meaning and sometimes it is hard for me to pronounce words in English. But
when I grow older and went to Year 3 Bestari class, I fall in love with English because of my
3

teacher called Sir Phuah. He is Chinese man and he is a very strict teacher. Sir Phuah taught
me differently. He is very strict but he also a kind man. As my observation, I could say that
he sometimes he used Total Physical Response method during my class. He used actions and
let us repeats it again and if I could not do it well, he will give another chance and give we
space and time to learn English. I still remember that he always gives us examples by using
our environment and also examples in our daily life. It makes me get to understand the
lesson quite well. He always give tasks for us to find article in English newspapers and ask
us to find the words that we did not understand.

It helps me a lot in improving my

vocabulary. Not only that, he asks us to create sentences using new words and sometimes he
make game in our class such as Spelling Be.
Next, in my secondary school, I went to MJSC Gerik. I have to speak the second
language in my English class. It encouraged me to speak in English and I am one of the
representatives for Public Speaking competition and also Choral Speaking competition.
When I joined the competitions, I have the opportunity to learn more about English. My
teachers used different method during my secondary school. When I was in Form 1, my
teacher used The Direct Method. She never speaks in our mother tongue language. She
demonstrated the lessons using visual aids and not explanation. She is one of my favourite
teachers. Sometimes she used pictures, music, charts and others to make us enjoy the lessons
so much. She is the one who teach me to keep a daily journal and the interesting thing for me
is when she asks us to submit our daily journal weekly and she will respond to our writing.
We are free to write and also draw in our journal. It shows that my teacher does not limit our
potentials because some of us are doing really good in drawing and sketching. We are really
active in class. When I learn more about English, I fall in love with it because my teacher
sparks my appetite by using a creative ways to approach me and my friends.
During my days of learning English, I could reflect myself that English is not a hard
language to be acquired. There are a lot of ways and initiatives that the teachers always use
to help the students. Same as what I have go through before. I have learnt my second
language for more than 10 years and fortunately now I could speak, read, write and also listen
to English language quite well. When I get to know about the language more deep, I could
notice that the language is very unique for me to learn because people always said that we
could improves ourselves when we get to master other language too. I have learnt about 12
methods of teaching second language and I could say most of my teachers apply it and those
theories are acceptable for me. I have experienced the class with teachers using Direct
Method, Total Physical Response, Suggestopedia and also Grammar Translation Method. I
4

can differentiate and could apply the methods that effective for my students in my future. By
learning the methods, it helps me a lot to connect it with my experiences during my school
days before. Not only that, I always used English language with my family at home and also
with my peers. It shows that the second language could be applied everywhere, anytime and
for everyone.
The methods and also the theories that had been found are applicable for me to use it
in my future. When I reflect myself backwards in my last few years time, I started to ask
myself whether I am using the opportunity to learn the second language beneficially and
effectively or not. For me, I have done quite well in my personal life especially during my
examinations. Before this I learnt just because to pass the examinations but now I realised
that the language is not easy to know and I should appreciate it for the rest of my life. I love
English literature so much because it shows the historical background about the language and
also the uniqueness of the language. Based on my reflection too, I believe that I could apply
the methods and approaches in my future to let my students could fall in love in language just
like me. When there is a will, there is a way to achieve it. I will strive myself to learn more
about it and share it with others too in my future.