There are many techniques used in teaching English to students who do not consider it a first language.

Reading

This techniques uses reading material developed for young learners such as kids and teens. It is called TEFL and has become more and more popular. By using simple reading material, that has a more conversational tone than those developed for adults, these materials introduce learners to English words and sentence structures in a fun and engaging way. Children’s literature in particular uses things like rhymes and a play in words to teach pronunciation.

Teachers who use this technique often use a strategy called multiple pass. The first time the book is used, the teacher pauses to elaborate on complicated words or concepts. The students are then asked to go through the work on their own, and without pause.

Blended learning

This is a relatively new technique that is now under hot discussion in the ESL circles. It was based on very new research that students learn much faster through a combination of face-to-face classroom interactions and online or electronic practice. This has been made possible by development in technology and the creation of a Virtual Learning Environment, also called VLEs.

VLEs are used in conjunction with a traditional curriculum. The students still have classroom discussions, where they interact with a teacher and their fellow students. They follow a standard curriculum, and take courses with appropriate learning material.

However, students are also asked to do online activities when they leave the classroom. They can test their new skills in games, or listen to audio files that help them hear how a word is pronounced or the inflections in a sentence. There are also downloadable grammar lists or vocabulary lists, or other materials that would otherwise have been to expensive to distribute in the classroom.

Blended learning also allows adult learners—people who have jobs to go to, or household chores to complete—to study part of the course on their own time. The flexibility is unequalled, and they don’t even have to lug around books. They can log on the web through their laptops or office computers, and quickly complete an exercise between meetings.

Language education is the process by which someone learns or teaches a new language. It can apply to one’s Mother Tongue—even if you’re a native English speaker, you may have to take additional courses to prepare you for rigorous academic work—or on a completely different language.

Methods of Language Education

Different schools use different techniques. There really is no one perfect method; it really depends on the learning style of the student, or the teaching philosophy of the school. However, research does show that adult learners have very specific needs and certain methods that may be good for children do not apply to those who are above the age of 20.

Grammar Translation Method

In this method, students are given direct translations of a text and are asked to commit them to memory. It was used in the 19th century but has since been declared an inefficient way of learning a language. However, it is the only method for a student to learn Latin, a dead language.

Audio Lingual Method

This is the method used in those travelers tapes. Students listen to recorded conversations where people act out certain situations. They are also asked to participate in several drills. The emphasis of this method is practical use of a language. However this method is not widely used today, despite studies showing their efficiency.

Communicative language teaching

Communicative language teaching (also called CLT) is teaching method that focuses on interaction between students and teachers. It has been criticized but remains to be popular especially in Europe.

Language Immersion

This method simply surrounds students in an environment where they must speak in a language whether or not they understand it. While it certainly forces someone to speak a language (much the same way that a person who is thrown into a pool learns to swim) its weakness is that it does not promote accuracy of a language. This is very popular in Canada.

Minimalist/methodist

This method is known for its simplicity. It uses flash cards and revolves around using language in a certain context.

Directed Practice

This method uses repetition of phrases in order to master a language. While it is very precise and the grammar is quite accurate, it does not allow a student to learn the language in a flexible manner.
language. Within these limits, the student’s usage is accurate and precise. However the student’s choice of what to say is not flexible.

In the last decade, there has been an increased interest in learning English as a second language. It may have been partially triggered by the European Commission’s Paper that emphasized the importance of learning another tongue. The paper was released in 1991.

However, as early as 1974, Europeans have been encouraged—sometimes even forced by the curriculum—to learn another language. Only two countries, Ireland and Great Britan, did not require students to learn a language not predominantly spoken in their own country. In fact, in some countries, students learn as much as three foreign languages. These countries include Belgium’s Flemish Community, Denmark, Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, Finland, Sweden, Cyprus, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Serbia, Slovenia and Slovakia

Here are some learning methods that the students have used to learn another language:

Code Switching

Most students use code switching as a learning method when they are trying to master a language. It is often frowned upon by teachers, but it is instinctive—and in the students’ point of view, practical.

In code switching the student tries to speak the foreign language as much as they can, but then switches to their mother tongue when they stumble on a phrase or word they can’t translate.

One advantage of code of code switching is that it builds confidence and motivates them to learn more. Instead of feeling frustrated that they “can’t speak” the language, they are encouraged to try to communicate as much as possible—their anxiety assured by the psychological safety net that if they stumble, they can use their own language.It also feeds their excitement by letting them practice the language early on, rather than waiting till the time that they “feel adept”.

Blended learning

This method mixes face to face instruction with practice using the internet or the computer. It has been increasingly popular in the last five years, thanks in part to the development of technology and how affordable computer equipment has become.

Private tutorials

One of the best ways of learning a language is to receive private instruction from a native English speaker. However, this presumes that the instructor is as good at teaching as he is at speaking English (and this is not always the case). Really good tutors can also charge a high fee for their services. However, the benefit is that the classes are given at the student’s pace, thus guaranteeing that he masters all the basics before going on to the next level.