3rd week of teaching practise

 This week kick started with a special day; 14th of November, Children's day. Children were very happy and everyone wished each other. Due to the November test, all my 6th periods were changed to the period in which exams were conducted. Tuesday the 15th of November was a holiday because of a strike. It was totally an unfortunate day because Rev. Fr. C. O. Joseph Ramban passed away. He was the
former superior of the Mount Tabor Diara. We had no class as the teachers and non teaching staffs of all Mount Tabor institutions went to attend the funeral and mourned at the demise of Fr. Joseph Ramban. When the 3rd week came to an end, I had finished the chapter, "The Nightingale and the Rose".

      

2nd week of teaching practice

A new week started and I started a new chapter with it. The new chapter was a story titled "The Nightingale and the Rose" written by Oscar Wilde. I had planned Power point presentations to show the learners.

https://1drv.ms/p/s!AnEfUMKPCf00nDPyzvw578tgjQqA?e=bkpHMy 

On 7th of November a "Flashmob" was conducted by the students as an awareness on drug abuse. A child from 8th standard approached me on this weekend with a rose flower. She told me that it was the flower from her garden and she would like to give it to me as a present. I was so happy to hear that and it made my day.

On the coming days children were very eager to hear the rest of the story. I collected the notebooks to check on Tuesday morning and gave it back at evening. Some of them were not complete and some of them hadn't written the home works, but most of them had done it. There was a meeting on Wednesday about the curriculum development. Many members from the Pathanapuram Panchayat and representatives of other schools participated in the meeting. Some of us who didn't have classes during the last period got a chance to attend and put forward our suggestions to the meeting

The November test for the students started this week and exams were conducted on each day. on Thursday i got a chance to go as an invigilator in the class 7th.I. They had Hindi exam that day. on the last day of this week I planned to finish the story "The Nightingale and the Rose" but unfortunately I couldn't because their November test was being conducted on the 6th period, which was my allotted period. Anyway I went to the class and stood their as an exam invigilator.

Using ICT tools helped to a great extend in managing the class and keeping the students interested in the class. The children seem to get the idea of the new words better with the images of the words. Using Power point slides to write notes was time saving and better. The children enjoyed seeing different animated slides. Adding certain effects to the slides makes the presentation interesting  and entertaining for the children. It sweeps away the boredom of the class.

Through the entry activities that I have given, I understood that the learners have got a grip on the story. Only using blackboard to teach new words couldn't create interest in the pupils. I had to connect it with some real life incidents with which the students could relate. I gave the students an extended activity of speaking about a topic. This helped me to understand the learners' point of view about the story and they could open up to their friends. They were a bit reluctant at first to talk in English but with more help they could do better.

Enacting a given scene was another activity that I tried this week. The talents of the children were evident from the pieces they enacted. They also had different imaginations and creative power. More activities that might bring out their talents will be helpful for them.

 

1st week at Mount Tabor Girls High School, Pathanapuram.

As a part of our first teaching practice session, we were allotted to different schools. Five of us, Ashna, Geethu, Nithya, Smitha and myself were allotted to the Mount Tabor Girls High School, Pathanapuram. 3^rd November 2022 was our first official day as teachers at the school. We gathered at the college and went to the school together as a group.

I was assigned to the class 8.I, and my class was during the 2^nd period on Thursday, 6^th on Friday and again 6^th on Saturday. My guide was Sreena.J.S teacher. When I went to the class the students greeted me with enthusiasm of seeing a new teacher. I was excited and introduced myself. The children asked many doubts about me teaching them. They wanted to know whether their permanent English teacher would never come back to teach them and many other things like that. I gave them satisfactory answers and asked their names. After those informal talks I started my class.

My topic was the poem The First Showers by Nalini Sharma, from the fourth unit, Flowers and Showers from their textbook. I provided some colour papers to make paper boats. Students made boats using the paper and some of them even named the boats. On the second day Sreena teacher and I had an interaction about the students. She asked me whether the students were all cooperative. A few of them were not so attentive. I planned to give a little more attention to them. I came to know that the 6^th period is much shorter than the other periods. This Saturday was a compensatory working day with Wednesday’s timetable. I completed the chapter First Showers by giving a short review of the poem and doing some activities based on the text. I had prepared some activities myself too. Children were enthusiastic to do all those activities. I found that they like to do activities rather than simply listening. I asked questions in between and most of them answered correctly. I told them that we will start a new chapter in the next class.

I understood that I should give more attention to the class time. I was a bit slow at first. Therefore, I had to go fast towards the end of the class. I got to know the students more and more day by day. They showed interest in group activities. I have to plan such activities to gain their interest and make the class lively. As the 6^th period is shorter I have to slightly change my lesson plans according to it. I realised that I have a tendency to explain portions over and over again. I have to keep an eye on that too in the coming classes. I could reinforce the students appropriately and I could finish the class on time on the 3^rd day. I slightly developed my time management. The learners were little restless and hyperactive while doing the activities. I should improve my classroom management.

 

 

Mango Meadows A Magical Place

Mango Meadows is world’s first agricultural theme park in Kottayam district of Kerala. With more than 4800 species of plants, including 1900 species of medicinal plants, 700 species of trees, and 900 species of flowering plants, it is one of the most biodiverse places on earth.

The main attractions in the park are the Eden Garden, Nakshatra Vriksha junction, valentine garden, domestic animal farm, tea garden, telescope tower, Meenoottu palam and vegetable farm. The park also houses the world's tallest statue of Parashurama, measuring about 35 ft, as well as the biggest Bible statue, with a measurement of 25 ft by 25 ft. The park is owned by N. K. Kurian, a Gulf-returnee. Work on the park began in 2004 and it was opened to the public in December 2016. Mango Meadows has found a place in URF World records and Limca Book of Records, for developing the maximum number of plant species in a minimum area of 30 acres. Other awards include UP WORDS Achievers Award 2019, and 'Ente Samrambham' God's Own Brand and Emerging Entrepreneur Awards 2018.

OUR TRIP

                               

We didn’t know that we were going to create a handful of memories when we started our journey on 28^th October 2022, from the grounds of MTTC in two tourist bus consisting of 85 friends along with 2 teaching and 2 non-teaching staffs. Neither did we know that an amazing piece of land was waiting for us with a wide variety of plants and trees and the enchantment of vintage experiences, ‘The Mango Meadows’. The moment when we reached there, around 11.40 in the morning, we were all exhausted, obviously. But it couldn’t kill the spirit of the curiosity that peeked out from each of us, one could have easily deciphered that from the amount of time we took to capture the moments in selfies. Thus started the journey which we waited for a long time.

 

DIFFERENT AIMS, ONE SPIRIT

 

                                           

We were a team of students from different options, studying different subjects, but teamed up to explore the mystic beauty of the meadow which was welcoming us. The first ever thing some of us noticed, being the students of English, was the extraordinary beauty in all those elements that made up the place. It was undoubtedly an aesthetic experience and it made us feel like we were back to the nature from which somehow, we detached when we transformed to our modern life and time passing with the speed of a new Wi-Fi connection. We could immerse ourselves in the cool breeze of our own culture and traditions like the art of pottery and the belief of ‘meenoottal’. We went back to our childhood with the sweet music of flute playing in the background and the image of a beautiful field dancing in front of us.

As prospective English teachers, we are supposed to understand and appreciate the beauty in everything around us and to help transfer our culture, diversity, and history to the coming generations. This field trip definitely helped us to soak in our heritage more into our minds.

 

Observations

                                   

We were provided with a host to guide us through all the attractions of Mango Meadows and descriptions about them. With the help of the guide, we saw many medicinal plants and could understand their uses. After a trip to almost half of the meadow, the guide elaborated about all the activities and services available there. We were all intrigued at this point to check out the boating, ‘kuttavanchi’, pottery, pool and so on. Some of us tried cycling while some enjoyed the shade of a mushroom shaped resting place. All those things that we saw there were mind blowing, among which my favourite was the Eden Garden with the statue. We also saw many other fabulous statues such as the Director’s hand, Valentine Garden, Nakshatra Vriksha junction, Tea Garden and Telescope tower. As world’s first agricultural theme park, Mango Meadows has a large vegetable farm as well as an animal farm with many varieties of birds and animals.

We were starving around 1 o’ clock and we gathered in the restaurant there for lunch. We all had the delicious ‘sadya’ with many side dishes, which were all made from the products from the meadows itself. It was like a gift from the nature. Later we participated in many of the activities which made us energetic and woke up the adventure inside us.

 

AU REVOIR

 

                                                 

Around 3.30 or 4pm, it was time to say goodbye to the place but carry a bundle of happy memories with us. On our way back, we had dinner and were trying hard to linger to the moments. It is an irreplaceable experience that we created that day. Looking back, we can say that the trip was a success, and we could learn many things from it. It helped as to reconnect with our past, our culture, traditions, and heritage. The experiences we got from the trip is beneficial for us in different ways.

     

 

 

A Study on English Grammar Learning Difficulties

 

INTRODUCTION

       

        In linguistics, the grammar of a natural language is its set of structural constraints on speakers' or writers' composition of clauses, phrases, and words. The term can also refer to the study of such constraints, a field that includes domains such as phonology, morphology, and syntax, often complemented by phonetics, semantics, and pragmatics. English grammar is the set of structural rules of the English language. This includes the structure of words, phrases, clauses, sentences, and whole texts.

        There are differences in English usage in English-speaking countries in terms of spelling, pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar. Findings show that there are six main challenges in teaching grammar namely lack of experience, expectations of the students, lack of facilities, negative perceptions on the teaching of grammar and preparing grammar lessons. Grammar rules are definitely tricky. One of the biggest reasons that learning and using grammar correctly is so difficult is that there are so many exceptions to every rule. It will be almost impossible to be able to learn and master all these different exceptions.

        So many things make learning English difficult and confusing. Its grammar structure, its spelling, meanings, and rules that contradict existing rules are difficult to master. But remember that the situation is the same for English speakers trying to learn a foreign language. For many L2 learners, learning grammar often means learning the rules of grammar and having an intellectual knowledge of grammar. Teachers often believe that this will provide the generative basis on which learners can build their knowledge and will be able to use the language eventually.

 

Need and Significance of the Study

 

        Grammar is critical for learning any language. Grammar is a set of rules that dictates how a language works, making it easy to comprehend. Without proper grammar, one would have no idea how to speak or write in English. It helps us make sense of our words. It also dictates rules regarding how words are used and when they should be used. Without knowing this information, it would be impossible for us to understand anything or say anything at all.

        The majority of people can speak fluent English, but not all of them use proper English grammar. There is a difference between spoken and written English, with the latter focusing more on using proper grammar. English grammar relies on theory, and it can be taught in a class. The learning process becomes complicated due to complex and contradicting grammar rules. The learner’s native language and background could get in the way of learning proper English grammar. There is also a lot to learn regarding English grammar. In this practicum I would like to introduce the terms English grammar, English grammar teaching methods, strategies to teach English grammar.

 

Statement of the Problem

 

        A Study on English Grammar Learning Difficulties Related to Learners and Teaching Methods.

 

Objectives

 

v To find out the difficulties of students in learning and comprehending English grammar.

v to have brief research on English grammar learning difficulties.

v to learn how changing teaching methods can help a student to overcome their difficulty in learning English grammar.

v To create a functional knowledge on the topic.

 

 

 

Hypothesis

 

        There exist difficulties in learning and comprehending English grammar. These difficulties vary in accordance with the nature of learner and teaching methods along with other factors.

 

Methodology

 

        Methodology refers to the various methods and techniques equipped for the purpose of the study it refers to the method of research used, sample of the study, the tool used for the collection and statistical analysis of the study.

 

Method

       

        Survey method is used for the present study.

 

Population and Sample

 

        The sample consists of 34 students from various educational institutions, pursuing their B.Ed degree, UG and PG.

 

 

 

Tools and Techniques

 

        Checklist is the tool used to find out the learner's difficulties in comprehending the English grammar.

 

Checklist

 

        Checklist consists of a list of items with a place to check, or to mark yes or no. Checklist is a type of questionnaire in the form of set of categories or a list of items with a place for respondent or observer to check ‘yes’ or ‘no’. That is the observer records check to denote the presence or absence of whatever being observed.

 

Analysis and interpretation

 

Questionnaire 1:  Students’ difficulties related to the learner.

 

Sl.no.	Questions	Answer (Yes)%	Answer (No)%
1	Do you find various grammar elements of English confusing?	98%	2%
2	Are you confident in using English language without any grammar mistakes?	16.67%	83.33%
3	Are you conscious about your grammar mistakes while speaking or writing?	66.67%	33.33%
4	Do you compare the structure of English language with your mother tongue?	66.67%	33.33%
5	Are you able to identify grammar mistakes after speaking or writing?	91.67%	8.33%
6	Are you able to correctly fix the errors you make with the grammar and the pronunciation?	45.83%	54.17%
7	Do you use correct word forms and parts of speech when you write?	29.17%	70.83%
8	Do you use correct articles and pronounce when you write?	62.50%	37.50%
9	Can you use correct tenses (present, past and future) when you speak or write?	45.83%	54.17%

 

Questionnaire 2: Students’ difficulties related to the teaching method.

 

Sl.no.	Questions	Answer (Yes)%	Answer (No)%
1	Does the teacher focus only on rules of the grammar?	55.56%	44.44%
2	Is grammar taught part by part?	96%	4%
3	Is verbal communication given as much importance as written communication in grammar classes?	33.33%	66.67%
4	Are the learners actively involved in grammar classes?	33.33%	66.67%
5	Is grammar solely thought through translation?	38.89%	61.11%
6	Does the teacher use any teaching aids to teach grammar?	55.56%	44.44%
7	Does the teacher provide related follow up activities to do?	88.89%	11.11%
8	Is meaning also considered while teaching grammar rather than only the form?	61.11%	38.89%

 

 

 

Findings

 

        The findings include students’ difficulties in grammar related to 2 categories. They are students’ difficulties related to the learner and the teaching method.

 

a) Students’ difficulties related to the learner.

 

        The findings showcase that, students experience difficulties while learning grammar. Some of these difficulties are related to the learner. Most of the students, lack confidence in using English language because of the fear of grammar mistakes. Most of them find English grammar elements confusing. They are conscious about grammar mistakes while speaking which hinders their speaking skill. Most of the students compares the structure of English language with their mother tongue. This process interferes in their grammar learning of English. Most of the students are capable of identifying grammar mistakes while speaking or writing. However, most of them are unable to correctly fix the grammar mistakes.

        Also, most of them are unable to use correct word forms and parts of speech when they write. Most of them are confident enough to write correct articles and pronounce. However, most of them are unable to use correct tenses (present, past and future) when they speak or write.

 

b) Students’ difficulties related to the teaching method.

 

        The findings indicate that ineffective teaching methods are the major cause for students’ grammar learning difficulties. They include the teacher mainly focusing on the rules of the grammar. The grammar is taught part by part by the teacher. In grammar classes the verbal communication is not given much importance as the written communication. The teacher gives importance to rules and written communication and ignores verbal communication aspect of the language. Most of the classrooms are teacher centric. The learners are solely passive listeners. Thus, most of the learners are not actively involved in grammar classes. However, grammar is not solely taught through translation. The teachers use teaching aids for better learning experience. Most of the time the teacher provides follow up activities for thorough understanding. The meaning is also considered while teaching grammar rather than only the form.

 

Conclusion

 

        Based on the findings from the survey, students’ difficulties in grammar is related to 2 categories. They are students’ difficulties related to the learner and difficulties related to teaching method. According to the study the learners find English grammar elements confusing sometimes. They are not confident enough to speak in English without any mistakes. Learners always compare the structure of English with Malayalam, and it causes confusion. The students are not confident in their language skills. Moreover, our teaching methods are not highly efficient. Even now classrooms are teacher centric, exam oriented and textbook based. The teacher gives more importance to the rules. Communication is the main goal of learning a language, however teachers tender to ignore verbal communication aspects in the classroom. These things cause grammar learning difficulties in the students.

 

Suggestion

 

        In the present scenario, grammar classes should be promoted to be child centric. Teacher should motivate the learners to study grammar. The teachers should not give over emphasis to the grammar rules, it will cost confusion and frustration. Verbal communication of English should not be ignored while teaching. The teacher should be able to communicate with the native speakers to acquire correct pronunciation and fluency. The teacher should motivate the learners to speak confidently in English. Teachers should adopt new strategies for better comprehension. The teachers should make use of teaching aids and create a healthy environment for better learning experience. The teachers should not follow grammar translation method or other traditional methods but adopt new teaching methods. The learners should find grammar learning enjoyable and less confusing. Thus, it will decrease students’ difficulties related to grammar learning.

 

Reference

 

·       Matas, Christina Poyatos. Student – Centered Grammar Learning and Teaching. VDM Verlag, 2011.

·       Gulo, Ingatan and Ni Ketut Ayu Widianingsih. “Grammatical Difficulties Encountered by second Language Learners”. The Fourth International Seminar on English Language and Teaching at Padang, Vol.2, may 2016, pp. 141-145. ResearchGate, DOI:10.13140/RG.2.1.4330.3284.