Advantages and disadvantages of teaching English using Bengali

Some teachers believe that the use of the mother tongue can be helpful in learning new vocabulary items and explaining complex idea and grammar rules

Should we use Bengali when we teach English? If so, what percentage? Actually it is still a debatable issue. Advocates of the monolingual approach suggest that the target language i.e. English should be the only medium of communication. This is because they believe the prohibition of the native language maximizes the effectiveness of learning English. However, some teachers believe that the use of the mother tongue can be helpful in learning new vocabulary items and explaining complex idea and grammar rules. In Teaching Monolingual Classes (1993) Atkinson suggests 'a careful, limited use of first language to help students get the maximum benefit from activities which in other respects will be carried out in the target language. We should keep in mind when students come to the classroom they come “loaded” with their native language and a cultural heritage. English teachers working with monolingual students at lower levels of English proficiency find prohibition of the mother tongue to be practically impossible. So instead of looking at the students’ native language and cultural background as inferior or a source of errors, they must be used as a tool to maximize foreign language learning.  The mother tongue represents a powerful resource that can be used in a number of ways to enhance learning but it must always be used in a principled way.
A proponent of the monolingual approach, Krashen has argued that learners acquire foreign languages following basically the same path they acquire their mother tongue. According to him, the use of the mother tongue in the learning process should be minimized (1981).In fact a lot of teachers believe using first language in English classes must be discouraged. They argue that the use of first language may become a habit that both learners and teachers may resort to whenever a difficulty is encountered. First language may be sometimes misleading when learning the target language. The mother tongue can be probably more beneficial to beginners. As they progress in their learning the target language will take the lead. Instead of going through a long explanations in the target language, it is sometimes easier and more efficient to give a translation of a vocabulary item or an explanation of a grammar point. A comparison of English and the mother tongue can be a very enriching experience. In fact, discovering the similarities and differences of both languages can enhance the target language acquisition. Language is a vehicle for cultural aspects. If teachers ban the use of the mother tongue, this underlies an ideological conception of first language culture as being inferior. Alternatively, cultural differences and similarities can be highlighted to help learners accept and tolerate differences while at the same time preserve their cultural uniqueness.
Now teachers teaching English are aware of the significance of first language .Using first language that means Bengali in our case is not the problem. The problem is when and how to use it. My visiting the schools across rural Bangladesh tells that trained English teachers also feel comfortable to use Bengali while teaching English with some possible exceptions. Teachers think the more they can use Bengali, the more the students become benefitted.
Translation is a natural phenomenon when teaching or learning other language than mother tongue.  Research has shown that switching between languages and translation happens instinctively to all language learners and the first language is actually an important resource in second language learning (Cook, 2001; Woodall, 2002).  For these reasons, teachers should try to work with this innate tendency rather than against it. Learning another language should add richness to students’ lives; it should not devalue their own language and culture.  By allowing the use of first language, students would get the sense that learning another language is a positive experience because they can have access to a valuable resource.
A rational and judicious use of first language in English classes can only be advantageous. The use of first language must be tuned up with effective target language teaching, taking into consideration learner’s mother tongue and cultural background and using them to the best of their interest. Harbord says that communicating with students in their mother tongue seems to improve teacher-student rapport   Also, being able to use the mother tongue with students can be more efficient and make time for more useful activities.  
If instructions to an activity is complicated, and students do not seem to comprehend the English explanation, asking a student who does understand to translate for the entire class would create more time for the activity and prevent a lot of frustration for both teachers and students.
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.  Conse­quently, students lose confidence in their ability to communicate in English: They may feel that the only way they would understand anything the teacher says is when it has been translated, or they use their mother tongue even when they are perfectly capable of expressing the same idea in English.  This can significantly reduce students’ opportunities to practice English, and students fail to realize that using English in classroom activities is essential to improve their language skills.
Translation also regularly creates the problem of oversimplification because many cultural and linguistic nuances cannot be directly translated (Harbord, 1992).  While the argument from both sides are equally compelling, it is clear, that despite the numerous advantages of students using their mother tongue  in English-language learning, they do not outweigh the disadvantages. The debate over the use of first language in foreign language teaching hasn’t been settled yet. On the one hand there are those teachers who reject the use of first language altogether or fail to recognize any significant potential in it. On the other hand, there are those who either massively overuse it. Both are abusing a resource of great importance and delicacy each in his own way. Using the target language as the medium of instruction should be followed when possible and switching to the mother tongue when it is really necessary.  

The writer is an educationist Email: [email protected]

 

Advantages and disadvantages of teaching English using Bengali

Some teachers believe that the use of the mother tongue can be helpful in learning new vocabulary items and explaining complex idea and grammar rules

Should we use Bengali when we teach English? If so, what percentage? Actually it is still a debatable issue. Advocates of the monolingual approach suggest that the target language i.e. English should be the only medium of communication. This is because they believe the prohibition of the native language maximizes the effectiveness of learning English. However, some teachers believe that the use of the mother tongue can be helpful in learning new vocabulary items and explaining complex idea and grammar rules. In Teaching Monolingual Classes (1993) Atkinson suggests a careful, limited use of first language to help students get the maximum benefit from activities which in other respects will be carried out in the target language. We should keep in mind when students come to the classroom they come loaded with their native language and a cultural heritage. English teachers working with monolingual students at lower levels of English proficiency find prohibition of the mother tongue to be practically impossible. So instead of looking at the students native language and cultural background as inferior or a source of errors, they must be used as a tool to maximize foreign language learning. The mother tongue represents a powerful resource that can be used in a number of ways to enhance learning but it must always be used in a principled way. A proponent of the monolingual approach, Krashen has argued that learners acquire foreign languages following basically the same path they acquire their mother tongue. According to him, the use of the mother tongue in the learning process should be minimized (1981).In fact a lot of teachers believe using first language in English classes must be discouraged. They argue that the use of first language may become a habit that both learners and teachers may resort to whenever a difficulty is encountered. First language may be sometimes misleading when learning the target language. The mother tongue can be probably more beneficial to beginners. As they progress in their learning the target language will take the lead. Instead of going through a long explanations in the target language, it is sometimes easier and more efficient to give a translation of a vocabulary item or an explanation of a grammar point. A comparison of English and the mother tongue can be a very enriching experience. In fact, discovering the similarities and differences of both languages can enhance the target language acquisition. Language is a vehicle for cultural aspects. If teachers ban the use of the mother tongue, this underlies an ideological conception of first language culture as being inferior. Alternatively, cultural differences and similarities can be highlighted to help learners accept and tolerate differences while at the same time preserve their cultural uniqueness. Now teachers teaching English are aware of the significance of first language .Using first language that means Bengali in our case is not the problem. The problem is when and how to use it. My visiting the schools across rural Bangladesh tells that trained English teachers also feel comfortable to use Bengali while teaching English with some possible exceptions. Teachers think the more they can use Bengali, the more the students become benefitted. Translation is a natural phenomenon when teaching or learning other language than mother tongue. Research has shown that switching between languages and translation happens instinctively to all language learners and the first language is actually an important resource in second language learning (Cook, 2001; Woodall, 2002). For these reasons, teachers should try to work with this innate tendency rather than against it. Learning another language should add richness to students lives; it should not devalue their own language and culture. By allowing the use of first language, students would get the sense that learning another language is a positive experience because they can have access to a valuable resource. A rational and judicious use of first language in English classes can only be advantageous. The use of first language must be tuned up with effective target language teaching, taking into consideration learners mother tongue and cultural background and using them to the best of their interest. Harbord says that communicating with students in their mother tongue seems to improve teacher-student rapport Also, being able to use the mother tongue with students can be more efficient and make time for more useful activities. If instructions to an activity is complicated, and students do not seem to comprehend the English explanation, asking a student who does understand to translate for the entire class would create more time for the activity and prevent a lot of frustration for both teachers and students. 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. Consequently, students lose confidence in their ability to communicate in English: They may feel that the only way they would understand anything the teacher says is when it has been translated, or they use their mother tongue even when they are perfectly capable of expressing the same idea in English. This can significantly reduce students opportunities to practice English, and students fail to realize that using English in classroom activities is essential to improve their language skills. Translation also regularly creates the problem of oversimplification because many cultural and linguistic nuances cannot be directly translated (Harbord, 1992). While the argument from both sides are equally compelling, it is clear, that despite the numerous advantages of students using their mother tongue in English-language learning, they do not outweigh the disadvantages. The debate over the use of first language in foreign language teaching hasnt been settled yet. On the one hand there are those teachers who reject the use of first language altogether or fail to recognize any significant potential in it. On the other hand, there are those who either massively overuse it. Both are abusing a resource of great importance and delicacy each in his own way. Using the target language as the medium of instruction should be followed when possible and switching to the mother tongue when it is really necessary. The writer is an educationist Email: [email protected]