BOOK REVIEW

Introduction Title: Author: Teaching and Learning English a Source book for Teachers and Teacher-Trainers M L Tickoo

Publication: Orient Longman, 2003 Type of Book: Academic (informative & educative)

Description and Summary The book is a true guide to teachers. Every aspect of Teaching English is discussed. Methods of Teaching, Content, Classroom ambience, Teaching aids etc. have been discussed at length. A reading will surely benefit the reader as within every chapter there are boxes named (Reflect and Act) which give scope to reflect and analyse, consequently reaching to work out the ways to utilize the information as per ones requirement. The book has a useful Glossary. A teacher who is ready to evaluate and improve her teaching will enjoy reading it. The content is divided into various chapters the sequence is well thought first bunch of chapter deals with teaching of various aspects. The second deals with selection of what to teach and the third HOW! Chapter 1-Teaching Reading The author starts with the understanding what is nature of Reading and the primary goals of teaching it.

Reading aims at self reliant reading.He defies a common belief that reading is a passive activity. It is an interactive act with a goal to make meaning. He calls it a triangular activity among reader, text and the message. Each one understands the text according to her Schema.He gives two very important terms- KOLS(Knowledge of the Language System) and KOW(Knowledge of the World). He names three models to explain POR; 1) The Bottom up Model. 2) The Top down Model. 3) The Interactive Model. Reading in an EFL classroom The author defies mother tongue caused deficit or disability. He considers that one who has become a reader in one language; he has acquired basic skills and abilities usable in another. He calls First Literacy Language a rich resource and talks of additive bilingualism. Then there is a list of 14 micro skills of a mature reader. Reading-Teachers Role A teacher can help by efficient and effective intervening at right time and right place. At Pre-Reading stage the mechanics of reading are mastered, home ambience plays a great role at this stage use of pictorial matter with one or two words is done. Sight word skill and Word attack skill are the two approaches used to teach reading. It is the prime duty of a school to give importance to Reading in its curriculum. The education system must encourage Reading habit. The school library should be well equipped to cater the needs of the students. In class it is the duty of a teacher to provide plentiful graded material .He also discusses eight stages or we can say points where a teacher should intervene. The teacher has a constructive and guiding role to play while teaching comprehension at all levels like Silent reading, Creative reading, and Critical reading. Then to demonstrate the author also gives a few plans about selection and presentation of the reading material. New avenues opened up after reading this chapter. The knowledge amassed will surely help in selection and presentation of the reading material, the things I got to know answered certain basic question which will benefit my students more than me.

Chapter-2 Teaching Writing Teaching Writing is not only knowing the manuscript it is a skill to write when it comes to Teaching Writing .The chapter starts with the acknowledgement of the fact what it takes to become a proficient writer. He defies the general belief that in comparison to speaking writing is easy as the writer takes her own time. He tells writing calls for effective training as it involves highly complex set of processes. It is seen people who can speak fluently are unable to write competently. All good writing is reader directed and reader friendly. Written language can be very different from the language of speech; it is carefully planned and meticulously packaged. Writing has limited resources unlike speaking. Every type of writing is governed by certain sets of rules and conventions as per the requirement of the genre. The author enlists around ten points as what makes a good writer, the natural flow of ideas and suitable vocabulary takes prime position. He then describes approaches; with the help of certain aids and devices supplied by the teacher it includes many guided exercise and activities. This approach steals opportunity for self expression. The Process approach is reverse to this. It includes three stages. S1-pre writing S2-writing different drafts S3-re (re)visiting to present and publish Then there are categories of writing; IW and PW (Davies and Widdowson 1974) Traditional way is to classify by mode. Then he mentions five main text types in schools. The chapter has addressed all the queries regarding teaching writing from mechanics of writing to the mature creative writing. The two approaches and the Cricket analogy have beautifully elaborated both the long road and short cut approach and their results as well.

Chapter 3-Teaching Pronunciation

Teaching Pronunciation of English causes major problem with Hindi speaking people where unlike English the sounds and letters are far more closely related. In an English classroom this fact poses a great challenge for both the teacher as well as learner. The author refers to two solutions 1) Teach the sounds first and leave the introduction of letters to a later stage. 2) Raise awareness of the difference between sound and spelling in English with the help of various illustrations. He talks of use of RP to teach English sounds important thing is that not all sounds present problems. A few sounds are problematic e.g. Indians do not differentiate between \v\ and \w\. A planned programme of instruction and practice will help to remove such problems. A Bengali, Tamil, Kashmiri and a Chinese speaker all have their own typical pronunciation styles. In a class a teacher needs to address problem of each group of learner .Another common source of pronunciation problem is Non English medium schools. A basic course in pronunciation should aim at clarity and intelligibility rather than perfection. Variation in pronunciation exists within each major English speaking country such differences grow larger and obvious across different English speaking countries. Sir Randolph Quirk calls pronunciation Protean. He discusses linguistic and personal factors affecting pronunciation. English vowel, consonant, and all the sounds and their production is discussed .Importance of Rhythm,Stress,Intonation and Word accent in English language is discussed. English is a stress timed language so these factors are crucial. Pronunciation requires practice. Listening constitutes a major part so good models like AIR, BBC, CNN etc. are required. He talks of a few differences between RP and EIE.EIE is generally free from regional features. In this chapter various issues regarding the influence of native language on pronunciation is discussed and good ways have been told to avoid such problems. Crucial areas have been handled beautifully. Chapter 4- Teaching Listening

Teaching Listening is important but unfortunately it gets scanty attention in our school curriculum. Poor listening habits can cause failure in communication as listening needs effective comprehension. Two models explain the act of Listening. One views the listeners as tape recorders; the other compares them to construction workers. Listening is not a passive activity. It involves active processing, reformulation and revision. A listener needs lexical and grammatical competence. Linguistic and Schemata competence is required to get the message. Throughout the day we listen more than we speak. We listen for various purposes. The listening can be broadly categorized under two broad heads; 1) That serves interactional function 2) That serves transactional function Both types we encounter in our daily life. A teachers role is to equip the class to meet the demands made on them by different listening acts. Then he enlists around 15 skills required for listening comprehension. The author enumerates various steps in a course of teaching listening. The chapter has really opened up a new dimension in the understanding of the requirement of Teaching Listening seriously. Listening is an art. It is the basis of successful communication. In our school curriculum there is a dire need to pay attention to this aspect of teaching English. Chapter 5Teaching Speaking Teaching Speaking has become the pivot of Learning English. There are various myths about Learning and Speaking English. The person seems to be well versed in the language if she speaks fluently. But is this true! What is infact required to make the communication effective. Speaking starts from monosyllabic sounds on to larger utterances. A child speaks what he listens to. Listening and Speaking precedes Reading and Writing. As far as learning of a foreign language is concerned adequate practice of sound and opportunities for listening purposefully must be provided. To teach these four skills in a better way there is a need to adopt holistic approach as each gives sustenance to the other.

For teaching speaking English there are two major limitations; 1) English is normally used only for 30 to 40 minutes a working day ( during English class only ) 2) Classroom teaching is completely controlled. To remove these limitations the teacher is required to be innovative to go out of class boundaries to teach real life language. The author details stages in organized training; 1) Controlled and structured practice 2) Partly teacher led and rehearsed interaction 3) Life like and fully free interaction This is true that our English curriculum is not designed to fulfill the needs of spoken English in our real life situations. This results in to prospering of various English Speaking courses which again fail to cater the need of the speakers as these too do not provide adequate practice which is required to attain to speak fluent and embellished Language. Although the changes are being introduced in the curriculum but still much is sought to be done.

Chapter 6 Teaching Grammar Teaching Grammar of a foreign language is a much debated issue. The ones who are not in favor of teaching grammar say only knowledge of grammar does not enable to communicate meaningfully. People who know grammar make mistakes while those who do not know even basic grammar communicate successfully.Metalanguage of grammar often stands in the way of learning fluent use of language. It is thought that grammar grind which forms part of normal schooling does more harm than good. Those who are in favor of teaching grammar find it useful at every stage of learning. Then necessary questions when to teach and how to teach have been discussed, then the issue of teaching grammar in a bilingual classroom. How the NL does interfere and hoe grammar with the help of various games can be taught playfully. Chapter 7Teaching Vocabulary

True mastery of a language lies in knowing and using its vocabulary, grammatical pattern and its sound system as well. Our vocabulary is the stock of actively and passively used words which keeps on growing. To know a word does not only mean to know its meaning but also to know the companion words of a word and being able to use it flexibly and accurately in a range of contexts. Here the author gives a beautiful analogy he compares knowing a word to growing friendship. The words are categorized into content (open) and structure (closed) words. We learn words deliberately as well accidentally. The exercises that help to learn new words will definitely be a great help to teachers. Chapter 8Planning a Lesson Planning is crucial in every field of life. A planned lesson helps to utilize the content and time to the maximum. Adequate preparation, good review and introduction, smooth presentation, rich opportunities for pupil participation, and good summary and closure are parts of a planned lesson. A well planned lesson helps in looking back and forward. An example of a planned lesson with all the minute details with times. The chapter is a great help to the teachers the example is helpful for teaching English. Chapter 9Syllabuses and Teachers A good combination of the two can bring unbelievable results. A teacher who does not consider the syllabus only a document can exploit it to the maximum. The origin, purpose and the difference between curriculum and syllabus have been discussed. Syllabus is the overall plan for learning process. While deciding or selecting the syllabus i.e. what, when and how of the teaching material is an important decision. It is also important who should decide this. Modern views regarding the authority to decide the syllabus see a drastic change. Teacher who is dealing with the pupil knows the best about the syllabus. This is fine but this view also has its limitations as Process Syllabus The syllabus that is developed as a result of classroom

negotiation between the teacher and the students is helpful only while dealing with the adult students. Thus syllabus is of prime importance but role of a teacher in deciding the syllabus is more important. The discussion of the various types of syllabus provides new dimensions to think of what to teach and how to teach. Chapter 10Teachers and Materials The chapter has in detail discussed the utility of textbooks and other teaching aids. Textbook in a class proves to be a great help to teachers, Asian school culture is Text Book Culture. Teacher has an enjoyable relation. A teacher can not imagine doing without a textbook. The author talks of the need of additional, supplementary materials to aid teaching and learning. Assessment of textual material is also necessary as it is the base of teaching in a classroom. The criterion of a good book is that it must cater to the need of teachers and the students as well. It should also prove to be a good guide to the teacher to select and direct the use of other teaching aids. The present era is known to utilize the non print material to the maximum. Audio and video play a great role in teaching a language.CALI has given a new direction to teaching and learning a foreign language. CALL labs and language labs have been great help to foreign language classrooms. Chapter 11- Learners Dictionaries as Teaching Learning Aids. Dictionaries are the lifeline to a foreign language. The chapter states the fact that only a small percentage of students know how to use the dictionary fully or well. The students are not aware of the riches of a monolingual dictionary. There is also a difference in the purpose of use of dictionary of native and non native speakers. The chapter deals with brief history of ALDs which give phonetic transcription, simple definitions and plentiful examples. Todays ALD is a far richer resource for learning and needs a special training if one wants to exploit it to the full. He names three important

ALDs which specifically cater to the needs of a foreign language student. An important characteristic of ALDCE is that it replaces the definition of a word with full sentence explanation aiming at a clearer understanding. These keep in mind the level of the learner. ALDs teach pronunciation, give word grammar, elaborate with examples and appropriate usage. ALDs consider Learners Production needs also. The chapter is an eye opener about the utility of ALDs. Chapter 12-Teaher as Tester and Evaluator Test, exam and evaluation these constitute an important part of any kind of learning as these are a mirror to learner and to the teacher as well. The examination of any kind is backbone to our education system. The exams detect weak areas, check our focus, provide motivation and clearly show the regions which require improvement amazingly on the part of student and the teacher as well. The exams become inevitable as these are a parameter to judge the success on the part of each one who is associated with education. Different sorts of tests are required at different places the author talks of types of tests.Reliability, Validity and Practicability make a test fair. Various different tests are required to evaluate Receptive and Productive skills one can not cater to the need of the other .A test setter has a great responsibility to make the test intelligible and proficient enough to check or evaluate properly for what it has been set. The purpose of the test decides what kind of the test should be like objective, subjective, oral or written etc. Chapter 13Theory into Practice: Arguments and Agreements

The chapter deals with an interesting fact how far theory is applicable when practiced. It is debatable .Sometimes theories trail far behind when the teacher works in real classrooms. As at that what counts most is scene and setting. Methodologies, approaches and theories all have to be molded according to the requirement of the present situation.

Important factors in teaching and learning of a foreign language. Role of nature is much important in teaching our home tongue but what about a foreign language. When to start early in life or late? Real life experience of learning a language finds it necessary to learn it early in life but for professional needs one efficiently learns language at a late age too .As there are many other factors that affect learning of a language like exposure, motivation etc. Chapter 14Approaches and Methods While teaching a foreign language a teacher can not afford to stick to a single approach or method. In a language classroom a teacher does not literally stick to one rather keeps on modifying and mixing many as per the convenience and requirement of the teacher and the taught. An interesting fact that Kumaravadivelu(2002:14) stated that there is an alternative to method rather than an alternative method. The early methods used were; 1) The grammar-translation method(GTM) 2) Wests new method(NM) 3) The direct method(DM) 4) Dodsons bilingual method(BM) The Communicative Movement (CM) its origin benefits to adopt this have been discussed. Role of Humanism in language teaching and its four methods have been discussed; 1) Community Language Learning 2) The Silent Way 3) Suggestopedia (exploits mental and emotional features) 4) Total Physical Response (TPR) Then Task Based Language Teaching (TBLT), Natural Approach (NA), Cooperative Learning (CL), Content-Based Language Teaching (CBLT) has been discussed at length. There has been a continuous research to find out the best effective methods and approaches to make the task of foreign language teaching easier .A panacea can not be found in nut shell responsibility lies on the shoulders of the teacher. A teacher needs to be

well acquainted with the approaches no matter old or new as each discussion gives help to the teacher to evolve her understanding. Chapter 15Classroom Interaction: Types, Tools, Techniques Teaching, Learning is a dynamic process as it includes many variables. Learner, Teacher and the situation all vary. There are sociocultural, socioeconomic factors that affect the process. Classroom interaction affects the success rate of a class. Basic Tools &Techniques. Questionsthese are used as main tool to elicit Make the classroom interaction effective to the maximum. These can be of various types; 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) Knowledge Questions Comprehension Questions Application Questions Analysis Questions Synthesis Questions Evaluation Questions

Explanations-An individual teachers technique makes explanations effective, impressive and easy. A teachers ways to explain things create concepts in a learners mind. The language used may vary; it may be the target language or resource language. Instructions Clear and precise Instructions make things easy for both the learner and the teacher. Pair and Group Work This refers to the intra class interaction .Different people may opine differently about the benefits of the both. This interaction provides healthy competition & motivation. Size and Composition of group also matters.

I am really thankful to the teacher who selected the book for me as reading the book was an educative and joyful journey. It has infect added to my knowledge and understanding of Teaching and Learning English. A teacher who is forever a learner will find it a book worth remembering. Submitted by Astha Roll No. 2 PhD (ELT) BPSMV Khanpur Kalan