2015 Summer Reading List for Your Career Development

Well, it’s finally here. After all of the late night study sessions, group projects, and scrambling to get papers in on time, summer is upon us! It is a time for rest, relaxation, and of course…reading! Everyone likes to read while they’re relaxing at the beach or at the pool after a long week (and it’s nice to be able to pick what YOU want to read instead of what is listed in a syllabus). If you want books that will stimulate your mind during the summer, consider these options found in the Career Center Library:

You can borrow these books from the Career Center Library for seven days and you can renew online with your MyAladdin account for an additional seven. Swing by the Career Center to check out our full collection or search for books here. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the Career Center Library! You can reach me via email at JNunno@american.edu.

Writing a Knockout Cover Letter

The biggest challenge to overcome in landing the job or internship you want is the first level of applicant screening. Often this means getting a very bored, junior person to sit up and pay attention to the cover letter and resume you have sent in. Today we’re going to focus on cover letters.

Most people will admit they have difficulty writing cover letters; what they usually mean is that they have a lot of trouble starting cover letters. Here’s a formula for overcoming the writer’s block and anxiety of doing cover letters.

First, ask yourself this question: “As I look at this job/internship posting, what are the three or four most important skills/abilities I have that this employer wants?” The answer is what should go into the first paragraph of your cover letter. It’s a fill-in-the-blank paragraph – usually two sentences and about four lines long – that should look something like this:

“Having (Experience A) and (Experience B), I would like to apply for (title of the position). In addition, I would bring to your company/organization (Skill C) and (Experience D).”

Give it your best shot and don’t be modest. Depending upon what the job description emphasizes, your first paragraph should highlight factors such as: “strong research and analytics skills” … “excellent written and oral communication skills” … advanced knowledge or a foreign language … advanced knowledge of a particular software (other than Word and PowerPoint, which everybody has) … etc. etc.

Now that you’ve finished the all-important first paragraph, the second and third paragraphs should, to some degree, provide more detail and backup for the claims you made in the first paragraph. E.G., “During my two semesters as a Research Intern with Employer X, I worked with experienced professionals on a number of key projects, where I was able to enhance my research, analytical and problem-solving skills.”

Before concluding your letter, be sure to mention important generic skills all employers want – and most of you have acquired – during the course of some internships: “experience multitasking under deadline pressure” … “worked collaboratively in a team-focused environment” … “learned good detail management and prioritizing.”

Have a simple wrap-up sentence; e.g., “Thank you for considering my qualifications. I look forward to hearing from you.”

DON’T !

Use over-the-top words; e.g.,: “love” “excited” “perfect” “unique” – it makes you sound immature.
Put your contact info in the last sentence; it should be at the top of the letter.
Write more than three-quarters of a page, down to your name at the bottom.
Go on-and-on about how much you admire the employer. One sentence is enough.

Good luck!

Anna’s Pondering the Question of the Week Series, Fall 2015: Tweaking a graduate student resume

Greetings and welcome to the 2015-2016 academic year! As we all embark on our new academic and professional experiences, I’m resuming my blog series to reflect on most interesting, challenging or typical questions that students ask me during our individual appointments. I hope that this will help those who may have similar questions but haven’t had a chance to visit the Career Center yet.

During the past first week of the fall semester, I met with several graduate students who wanted to have their resume reviewed. As they start their graduate programs here at AU, they would like to find a part time job or an internship in the areas of their professional interests. For some students, their new career goals are different from their undergraduate degrees and experience. How would you structure your resume in such situations? Let me give you couple general tips and then we can discuss your particular case at length during an individual appointment.

As you probably know, employers don’t spend much time reading each applicant’s resume. Therefore, you want the employer to see the most relevant information about you first, and it may be your graduate degree that you are currently pursuing. Start your resume with the EDUCATION section, even if you have worked for couple years. State your Master’s degree first, followed by the information about your undergraduate degree.
If your language or computer skills (such as advanced knowledge of Excel, Photoshop, social media data analytics tools, etc.) are relevant for the position that you are applying for, put them right after the EDUCATION section in the SPECIAL SKILLS section.
Review carefully the job description to figure out if you can use any of its language to describe your professional experience. Even if your professional experience has been so far in a different field, many keywords describing skills or activities may be similar, e.g. research, develop, evaluate, database, clients, projects, etc.
Don’t overload your targeted resume with details that are not relevant for the employer. If you apply to an art organization do they really need to know specific lab tests you have worked on as a Biology major? However, your ability to work independently or in a team, perform under pressure, meet deadlines, will be important almost in any profession, in any field.
Include quantifiable results/outcomes whenever possible, e.g. increased by 30%….; delivered presentations to the audience of 30; etc.

Hopefully, these tips will help you start creating a new targeted resume for a new chapter in your life!

The #1 Skill Employers want YOU to have… Oral Communication

This is the first in a series of blogs that will highlight the key skills that employers seek. Each month, an AU Career Advisor will share insights into each skill– how do you develop the skill while at AU, how do you demonstrate, and why is it important? First up: Oral Communication.

“Must have strong oral and written communication skills.”

If you’ve searched for a job or internship, you’ve seen this requirement in one form or another. According to the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), the ability to communicate orally is the number one competency sought by employers. So, what does it mean to have strong oral communication skills, and how does your degree prepare you to use oral communication skills in the workplace? The good news is that your American University degree and campus experiences do develop this skill- whether you’ve majored in the liberal arts and sciences or business.

The majority of us can speak, therefore we have oral communication skills. How can you demonstrate to an employer that you have “strong” or “excellent” oral communication skills? Consider your experiences as a student, intern, or employee. In any of those roles, have you:

Conducted a classroom presentation?
Led a student group meeting?
Negotiated with your student group on how to complete a project?
Answered a customer’s question or resolved their concern through explaining a policy or procedure?
Used the spoken word to de-escalate a tense situation?
Provided spoken advice or counsel to a classmate, colleague, client or customer?
Persuaded a colleague or classmate to adopt an idea or to use a particular approach to solve a problem?
Participated in a debate?

These activities and more represent “strong oral communications.” It is the number one skill that employers seek because we all speak in the work place. As a baseline, employers seek employees who can articulate their ideas, support their positions, and communicate clearly with their teammates. Most employees must be able to effectively communicate with internal and external customers. Some roles involve the ability to conduct presentations with confidence. All employers want you to be able to communicate in a positive and professional manner.

So, before you write your next cover letter or head out the door to your next interview, consider how you’ve developed this very important skill. Provide the employer with specific examples drawn from your academics, work experience, and extracurricular activities. Articulate these experiences well, and you will have taken the first step to demonstrating competency (even excellence) in oral communication.

Not confident in your oral communication skills? Consider the following:

Nervous about public speaking? Try Toastmasters.
Join the AU Debate Society
Take a leadership role in any AU student club or community organization; ask to lead meetings or projects
Shy? Intentionally work on speaking up in class.
Take advantage of classroom opportunities to be a presenter- don’t cop out in a group presentation and let your teammate do all the talking.
Above all, stretch your comfort zone to improve your skills in public speaking!

Skills Series: Skill #2 – Teamwork skills are Essential at the Modern Workplace

Our second blog in the series on the key skills that employers seek is about teamwork. Most of the projects/tasks at the workplace, be it in the field of business, science, communication, arts, etc., are carried out nowadays by teams. Based on employers’ surveys, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) has concluded that employers search for candidates who have the teamwork skills defined as the capacity to “Build collaborative relationships with colleagues and customers representing diverse cultures, races, ages, genders, religions, lifestyles, and viewpoints. The individual is able to work within a team structure, and can negotiate and manage conflict.” What do you need to do to make sure that you are ready to be a productive and successful team member at your future workplace? How would you market your teamwork readiness to your potential employer?

The teamwork at the workplace is a complex process. Given current demographic, technological, social trends, team members should deal with a number of challenges to keep their teams productive and stay competitive. For example, at a modern workplace, you may have to work in teams of various size and structure with people of different educational backgrounds and experiences, twice or three times older than you. Your team may be scattered around the globe in different time zones. Such diverse team composition requires many new competences including intercultural and intergenerational communication skills, creativity, adaptability as well as other essential ingredients of successful teamwork, e.g. strong listening skills, responsibility, and time-management skills.

The good news is that AU students have no shortage of excellent teamwork opportunities as an integral part of their AU experience through academic studies, internships, and extra-curricular activities while building upon the diversity of AU faculty and staff, student body, and resources in DC and beyond. You may have already worked in teams while preparing for group projects and class presentations, practicing for, and playing team sports, planning events and raising funds for your fraternities/sororities or student clubs, working part-time or interning. Through these experiences, you have most likely started building the important teamwork competencies. Make sure that you take time to reflect on these competencies and your experiences and identify ways to grow.

Related: How to distinguish the best workplace harassment lawyer?

Academic Work:

Putting a lot of effort into mastering your academic major will help you build the knowledge base to work productively as a team member at your future workplace. Even if you are not planning or unsure about working in the field of your major, you will still have an opportunity to develop your intellectual capacity and transferrable skills that will help you be a productive team member (consult career guides to learn about transferrable skills related to each AU major)
- To excel in your major/minor, build relations with your professors, attend professors’ office hours, utilize ASAC, pursue research/internship opportunities, attend conferences, professional events, panels on, and off campus.
Some AU majors include more teamwork-based courses while others are more lecture-based and independent research. Both approaches can prepare you well for future teamwork. For example, lectures provide an opportunity to practice your listening and comprehension skills and analyze the professor’s arguments and logic – the ability that helps develop synergies within the team.
Interacting with highly accessible and diverse AU faculty will expand your comfort levels in communicating with professionals of different age groups, education, cultures, etc. Meet with professors during office hours, attend faculty led panels, etc. Look for opportunities to work as a teacher assistant, research assistant.
Many major/minors in humanities, STEM, as well as creative majors specifically focus on fostering creativity, thinking out of the box, and communication skills.
Language courses, courses on intercultural communication, as well as studying abroad expose AU students to different cultures and help build intercultural competencies. When you are abroad, look for opportunities to experience or learn about work-related values and cultural preferences. Reflect on how different/similar they may be to your preferences.
Interacting with your peers during group work for your classes teaches a lot about team dynamics, managing conflicts, time-management skills, as well as diversity. Utilize AU advantage as an institution with high shares of students from other countries, states, religions, lifestyles, and viewpoints backgrounds. Reflect on your experiences in successful and failed group work. What lessons can you use at the workplace?

Internship/Part-time Job

Doing an internship, whether for credit or not, will give you an opportunity to participate directly in a team or observe a team at work.
Utilize the advantages of the AU location by interning during the academic year in DC and exposing yourself to various workplaces and teams: a federal agency, not-for profit organization, international organization, professional association, art/entertainment organization, etc.
Given the fact that DC has a diverse workforce comprised of people from different parts of the U.S. and the world, you have excellent opportunities to expand your intercultural competencies.
At the workplace, continue to be a student, which means to study, through observation and reflection, how productive and non-productive teams operate, to practice good listening, negotiation, and conflict management skills whenever possible.

Extra-Curricular/Campus Life/ Volunteering:

As mentioned above, the diverse AU student body provides a lot of opportunities to learn how to interact with people different from you.
Increase your intercultural competences by attend AU intercultural events organized through ISSS and CDI.
Expand your experience in teamwork by engaging in student clubs, playing team sports, and participating in volunteering projects. Talk to the Center for Community Engagement and Service.
Look for self-development opportunities: particularly as they pertain to improving your teamwork skills in the areas of oral communication, time-management, conflict-management, etc. You will find many workshops on campus, which teach these skills. Check regularly Today@AU and the events calendar.

How to market your teamwork experience and skills in your application materials and at the job interview? Start by preparing a list of specific examples illustrating your experience in teamwork and in building teamwork competencies through your academic studies, internship, work, sports, extracurricular activities, etc.

In your application materials (resume and cover letters), use relevant action verbs and keywords e.g.: collaborate with, worked in x number member team, partner with, interact, communicate, liaise, or serve as a liaison, facilitate, organize, coordinate, etc.
Be prepared to market your teamwork skills at the job interview. The employer may ask questions directly: e.g., Do you enjoy working with a team or independently? Describe yourself as a team member? The employer will also use behavior questions to learn about your teamwork competencies. Such questions usually start with: “Tell me about the time when…. “ “Give me an example when….. “ Ask your career advisor about typical interview questions, check Career Center books on job interviews, research on-line. Practice giving narratives that highlight your specific experiences. Don’t forget to talk about your experience with diversity, managing and negotiating conflicts.
Also, make sure to read carefully the job description and explore the employer’s website to understand any special teamwork characteristics required or desired by the specific employer.
Attend #Ineedajob workshops on resume/cover letters and interviews, offered regularly by the Career Center. Check AU CareerWeb and the events calendar.
Consult Career Center website resources on resumes and cover letters. Practice and record your mock interview utilizing Interviewstream.
Schedule an appointment with your career advisor to have your application materials reviewed and prepare for a job interview.

ANALYZE THIS: PART I. TOP SKILL #4 IN THE EYES OF EMPLOYERS IS ANALYTICAL REASONING AND CRITICAL THINKING

According to the annual survey of the American Association of Colleges and Universities, one of the top skills sought by employers is a combination of critical thinking and analytical reasoning. Our own sample of 162 employers who attended the Job and Internship Fair in March 2016 has confirmed this finding: 89% of them were looking for candidates with this particular skill combination. These employers range from not-for-profits and businesses to government agencies and international organizations in various fields and industries.

What do the employers mean by “analytical” and “critical thinking” skills? Why are these skills so much in demand? Do you possess these skills? If you do, how would you demonstrate that to your potential employer? What activities would help develop analytical reasoning and critical thinking?

Find out this and more in my two part blog.

First, what are we talking about?

We are talking about two higher order cognitive skills. Both analytical reasoning and critical thinking help understand the information, topic, problem, data, etc. They enable one to tackle a problem and make the right decision in a more efficient way. However, these skills are not identical.

Analytical reasoning refers to a thinking process that entails breaking the information (topic, problem, data, etc.) into the parts, researching, and evaluating each part separately, to comprehend the complexity of the topic, discover connections, causes and effects, patterns, etc.

Critical thinking refers to a thinking process that entails coming up with questions, searching for flaws or strengths, evaluating possible scenarios, etc., to interpret the complexity of the topic based on the facts as well as prior knowledge and experience. Critical thinking involves figuring out the “Why?” and “Why not?”

For sure, I have simplified the definitions of these skills — there is much more to both analytical reasoning and critical thinking.

Why do employers look for analytical reasoning and critical thinking skills?

There are three major reasons:

First, employers look for these skills because of the complexity of the today’s workplace. Such complexity involves multiple sources of information, numerous stakeholders, complex challenges (economic, social, or political), increasing competition, etc. To achieve success in whatever organizations do (development or implementation of products, programs, services, projects or policies, etc.) in such complex environments, employers need analytical and critical thinkers who can grasp individual components and their relationships, as well as probe deeper to figure out what is important and what is not.

Second, many organizations have concluded that the decentralized structure of decision-making help them work more efficiently. This means that junior staff get more responsibilities to make decisions, come up with solutions, and recommend innovations. All these tasks call for good analytical reasoning and critical thinking skills.

Finally, the employer prefers new hires who will be able to become effective in their job as fast as possible. This requires figuring out how the organization operates, your tasks and expectations, where to get mentorship, communication channels, etc. To master all this information fast, the new hire should use analytical reasoning to understand these important components and their relations at the new workplace.

Obviously, different fields and industries would require their own analytical approaches and modes of critical thinking. Research assistants in the science fields would use different inquiry methods than research assistants in policy organizations. Business professionals of various specializations would employ different analytical tools to meet their goals. Educators, media and communications specialists, program coordinators or event planners — all would use different analytical approaches, strategies and techniques in their day to day job. However, the principles of analytical reasoning and critical thinking are universal, which makes them essential transferrable skills.

Now, while I am working on my second part of this blog, I would like to suggest that you get busy as well.

First, put on your analytical reasoning cap and analyze your academic, internship, leadership, work and other experiences to find suitable examples of utilizing analytical reasoning and critical thinking skills. Think of specific projects and tasks that you have accomplished where you had to figure out components (factors, aspects, steps), research, and evaluate them separately and together. Think of any examples where you identified information gaps, flaws, or thought through and/or suggested possible alternatives.

Next, put on your critical thinking cap and try to assess your performance on these tasks and think of specific ways you can continue further developing these skills.

Reading and Reflecting on Texts – “The Happy Prince”

Dear future teachers,

It is mandatory for every educated person to read and reflect over what she has read. Otherwise, it is impossible to develop Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS).

The aim of this Skill Based Course is to make reading as your habitual action, almost your permanent behaviour. Hence, I believe that, you will develop good reading skills and sustain your love of reading in future also.

Do have a literary bend of reading while you read this incredible short story of Oscar Wilde.

HAPPY READING EXPERIENCE !!!!!

The Happy Prince – Oscar Wilde

High above the city, on a tall column, stood the statue of the Happy Prince. He was gilded all over with thin leaves of fine gold, for eyes he had two bright sapphires, and a large red ruby glowed on his sword-hilt.

He was very much admired indeed. \’He is as beautiful as a weathercock,\’ remarked one of the Town Councillors who wished to gain a reputation for having artistic taste; \’only not quite so useful,\’ he added, fearing lest people should think him unpractical, which he really was not.

\’Why can\’t you be like the Happy Prince?\’ asked a sensible mother of her little boy who was crying for the moon. \’The Happy Prince never dreams of crying for anything.\’

\’I am glad there is some one in the world who is quite happy\’, muttered a disappointed man as he gazed at the wonderful statue.

\’He looks just like an angel,\’ said the Charity Children as they came out of the cathedral in their bright scarlet cloaks, and their clean white pinafores. \’How do you know?\’ said the Mathematical Master, \’you have never seen one.\’

\’Ah! but we have, in our dreams,\’ answered the children; and the Mathematical Master frowned and looked very severe, for he did not approve of children dreaming.

One night there flew over the city a little Swallow. His friends had gone away to Egypt six weeks before, but he had stayed behind, for he was in love with the most beautiful Reed. He had met her early in the spring as he was flying down the river after a big yellow moth, and had been so attracted by her slender waist that he had stopped to talk to her.

\’Shall I love you said the Swallow\’, who liked to come to the point at once, and the Reed made him a low bow. So he flew round and round her, touching the water with his wings, and making silver ripples. This was his courtship, and it lasted all through the summer.

\’It is a ridiculous attachment,\’ twittered the other Swallows, \’she has no money, and far too many relations;\’ and indeed the river was quite full of Reeds. Then, when the autumn came, they all flew away.

After they had gone he felt lonely, and began to tire of his lady-love. \’She has no conversation,\’ he said, \’and I am afraid that she is a coquette, for she is always flirting with the wind.\’ And certainly, whenever the wind blew, the Reed made the most graceful curtsies. I admit that she is domestic,\’ he continued, \’but I love travelling, and my wife, consequently, should love travelling also.\’

\’Will you come away with me?\’ he said finally to her; but the Reed shook her head, she was so attached to her home.

\’You have been trifling with me,\’ he cried, \’I am off to the Pyramids. Good-bye!\’ and he flew away.

All day long he flew, and at night-time he arrived at the city. \’Where shall I put up?\’ he said \’I hope the town has made preparations.\’

Then he saw the statue on the tall column. \’I will put up there,\’ he cried; \’it is a fine position with plenty of fresh air.\’ So he alighted just between the feet of the Happy Prince.

\’I have a golden bedroom,\’ he said softly to himself as he looked round, and he prepared to go to sleep; but just as he was putting his head under his wing, a large drop of water fell on him. \’What a curious thing!\’ he cried, \’there is not a single cloud in the sky, the stars are quite clear and bright, and yet it is raining. The climate in the north of Europe is really dreadful. The Reed used to like the rain, but that was merely her selfishness.\’

Then another drop fell.

\’What is the use of a statue if it cannot keep the rain off?\’ he said; \’I must look for a good chimney-pot,\’ and he determined to fly away.

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But before he had opened his wings, a third drop fell, and he looked up, and saw – Ah! what did he see?

The eyes of the Happy Prince were filled with tears, and tears were running down his golden cheeks. His face was so beautiful in the moonlight that the little Swallow was filled with pity.

\’Who are you?\’ he said.

\’I am the Happy Prince.\’

\’Why are you weeping then?\’ asked the Swallow; \’you have quite drenched me.\’

\’When I was alive and had a human heart,\’ answered the statue, \’I did not know what tears were, for I lived in the Palace of Sans-Souci where sorrow is not allowed to enter. In the daytime I played with my companions in the garden, and in the evening I led the dance in the Great Hall. Round the garden ran a very lofty wall, but I never cared to ask what lay beyond it, everything about me was so beautiful. My courtiers called me the Happy Prince, and happy indeed I was, if pleasure be happiness. So I lived, and so I died. And now that I am dead they have set me up here so high that I can see all the ugliness and all the misery of my city, and though my heart is made of lead yet I cannot choose but weep.\’

\’What, is he not solid gold?\’ said the Swallow to himself. He was too polite to make any personal remarks out loud.

\’Far away,\’ continued the statue in a low musical voice,\’far away in a little street there is a poor house. One of the windows is open, and through it I can see a woman seated at a table. Her face is thin and worn, and she has coarse, red hands, all pricked by the needle, for she is a seamstress. She is embroidering passion-fowers on a satin gown for the loveliest of the Queen\’s maids-of-honour to wear at the next Court-ball. In a bed in the corner of the room her little boy is lying ill. He has a fever, and is asking for oranges. His mother has nothing to give him but river water, so he is crying. Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow, will you not bring her the ruby out of my sword-hilt? My feet are fastened to this pedestal and I cannot move.\’

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\’I am waited for in Egypt,\’ said the Swallow. \’My friends are flying up and down the Nile, and talking to the large lotus flowers. Soon they will go to sleep in the tomb of the great King. The King is there himself in his painted coffin. He is wrapped in yellow linen, and embalmed with spices. Round his neck is a chain of pale green jade, and his hands are like withered leaves.\’

\’Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow,\’ said the Prince, \’will you not stay with me for one night, and be my messenger? The boy is so thirsty, and the mother so sad.

\’I don\’t think I like boys,\’ answered the Swallow. \’Last summer, when I was staying on the river, there were two rude boys, the miller\’s sons, who were always throwing stones at me. They never hit me, of course; we swallows fly far too well for that, and besides, I come of a family famous for its agility; but still, it was a mark of disrespect.\’

But the Happy Prince looked so sad that the little Swallow was sorry. \’It is very cold here,\’ he said \’but I will stay with you for one night, and be your messenger.\’

\’Thank you, little Swallow,\’ said the Prince.

So the Swallow picked out the great ruby from the Prince\’s sword, and flew away with it in his beak over the roofs of the town.

He passed by the cathedral tower, where the white marble angels were sculptured. He passed by the palace and heard the sound of dancing. A beautiful girl came out on the balcony with her lover. \’How wonderful the stars are,\’ he said to her, \’and how wonderful is the power of love!\’ \’I hope my dress will be ready in time for the State-ball,\’ she answered; \’I have ordered passion-flowers to be embroidered on it; but the seamstresses are so lazy.\’

He passed over the river, and saw the lanterns hanging to the masts of the ships. He passed over the Ghetto, and saw the old Jews bargaining with each other, and weighing out money in copper scales. At last he came to the poor house and looked in. The boy was tossing feverishly on his bed, and the mother had fallen asleep, she was so tired. In he hopped, and laid the great ruby on the table beside the woman\’s thimble. Then he flew gently round the bed, fanning the boy\’s forehead with his wings. \’How cool I feel,\’ said the boy, \’I must be getting better;\’ and he sank into a delicious slumber.

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Then the Swallow flew back to the Happy Prince, and told him what he had done. \’It is curious,\’ he remarked, \’but I feel quite warm now, although it is so cold.\’

\’That is because you have done a good action,\’ said the Prince. And the little Swallow began to think, and then he fell asleep. Thinking always made him sleepy.

When day broke he flew down to the river and had a bath.

\’What a remarkable phenomenon,\’ said the Professor of Ornithology as he was passing over the bridge. \’A swallow in winter!\’ And he wrote a long letter about it to the local newspaper. Every one quoted it; it was full of so many words that they could not understand.

\’To-night I go to Egypt,\’ said the Swallow, and he was in high spirits at the prospect. He visited all the public monuments, and sat a long time on top of the church steeple. Wherever he went the Sparrows chirruped, and said to each other, \’What a distinguished stranger!\’ so he enjoyed himself very much.

When the moon rose he flew back to the Happy Prince. \’Have you any commissions for Egypt?\’ he cried; \’I am just starting.\’

\’Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow,\’ said the Prince, \’will you not stay with me one night longer?\’

\’I am waited for in Egypt,\’ answered the Swallow. To-morrow my friends will fly up to the Second Cataract. The river-horse couches there among the bulrushes, and on a great granite throne sits the God Memnon. All night long he watches the stars, and when the morning star shines he utters one cry of joy, and then he is silent. At noon the yellow lions come down to the water\’s edge to drink. They have eyes like green beryls, and their roar is louder than the roar of the cataract.\’

\’Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow,\’ said the Prince, \’far away across the city I see a young man in a garret. He is leaning over a desk covered with papers, and in a tumbler by his side there is a bunch of withered violets. His hair is brown and crisp, and his lips are red as a pomegranate, and he has large and dreamy eyes. He is trying to finish a play for the Director of the Theatre, but he is too cold to write any more. There is no fire in the grate, and hunger has made him faint.\’

< 6 >

\’I will wait with you one night longer,\’ said the Swallow, who really had a good heart. \’Shall I take him another ruby?\’

\’Alas! I have no ruby now,\’ said the Prince; \’my eyes are all that I have left. They are made of rare sapphires, which were brought out of India a thousand years ago. Pluck out one of them and take it to him. He will sell it to the jeweller, and buy food and firewood, and finish his play.\’

\’Dear Prince,\’ said the Swallow, \’I cannot do that;\’ and he began to weep.

\’Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow,\’ said the Prince, \’do as I command you.\’

So the Swallow plucked out the Prince\’s eye, and flew away to the student\’s garret. It was easy enough to get in, as there was a hole in the roof. Through this he darted, and came into the room. The young man had his head buried in his hands, so he did not hear the flutter of the bird\’s wings, and when he looked up he found the beautiful sapphire lying on the withered violets.

\’I am beginning to be appreciated,\’ he cried; \’this is from some great admirer. Now I can finish my play,\’ and he looked quite happy.

The next day the Swallow flew down to the harbour. He sat on the mast of a large vessel and watched the sailors hauling big chests out of the hold with ropes. \’Heave a-hoy!\’ they shouted as each chest came up. \’I am going to Egypt!\’ cried the Swallow, but nobody minded, and when the moon rose he flew back to the Happy Prince.

\’I am come to bid you good-bye,\’ he cried.

\’Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow,\’ said the Prince, \’will you not stay with me one night longer?\’

\’It is winter,\’ answered the Swallow, and the chill snow will soon be here. In Egypt the sun is warm on the green palm-trees, and the crocodiles lie in the mud and look lazily about them. My companions are building a nest in the Temple of Baalbec, and the pink and white doves are watching them, and cooing to each other. Dear Prince, I must leave you, but I will never forget you, and next spring I will bring you back two beautiful jewels in place of those you have given away. The ruby shall be redder than a red rose, and the sapphire shall be as blue as the great sea.

< 7 >

\’In the square below,\’ said the Happy Prince, \’there stands a little match-girl. She has let her matches fall in the gutter, and they are all spoiled. Her father will beat her if she does not bring home some money, and she is crying. She has no shoes or stockings, and her little head is bare. Pluck out my other eye, and give it to her, and her father will not beat her.

\’I will stay with you one night longer,\’ said the Swallow, \’but I cannot pluck out your eye. You would be quite blind then.\’

\’Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow,\’ said the Prince, \’do as I command you.\’

So he plucked out the Prince\’s other eye, and darted down with it. He swooped past the match-girl, and slipped the jewel into the palm of her hand. \’What a lovely bit of glass,\’ cried the little girl; and she ran home, laughing.

Then the Swallow came back to the Prince. \’You are blind now,\’ he said, \’so I will stay with you always.\’

\’No, little Swallow,\’ said the poor Prince, \’you must go away to Egypt.\’

\’I will stay with you always,\’ said the Swallow, and he slept at the Prince\’s feet.

All the next day he sat on the Prince\’s shoulder, and told him stories of what he had seen in strange lands. He told him of the red ibises, who stand in long rows on the banks of the Nile, and catch gold fish in their beaks; of the Sphinx, who is as old as the world itself, and lives in the desert, and knows everything; of the merchants, who walk slowly by the side of their camels, and carry amber beads in their hands; of the King of the Mountains of the Moon, who is as black as ebony, and worships a large crystal; of the great green snake that sleeps in a palm-tree, and has twenty priests to feed it with honey-cakes; and of the pygmies who sail over a big lake on large flat leaves, and are always at war with the butterflies.

< 8 >

\’Dear little Swallow,\’ said the Prince, \’you tell me of marvellous things, but more marvellous than anything is the suffering of men and of women. There is no Mystery so great as Misery. Fly over my city, little Swallow, and tell me what you see there.\’

So the Swallow flew over the great city, and saw the rich making merry in their beautiful houses, while the beggars were sitting at the gates. He flew into dark lanes, and saw the white faces of starving children looking out listlessly at the black streets. Under the archway of a bridge two little boys were lying in one another\’s arms to try and keep themselves warm. \’How hungry we are\’ they said. \’You must not lie here,\’ shouted the Watchman, and they wandered out into the rain.

Then he flew back and told the Prince what he had seen.

\’I am covered with fine gold,\’ said the Prince, \’you must take it off, leaf by leaf, and give it to my poor; the living always think that gold can make them happy.\’

Leaf after leaf of the fine gold the Swallow picked off, till the Happy Prince looked quite dull and grey. Leaf after leaf of the fine gold he brought to the poor, and the children\’s faces grew rosier, and they laughed and played games in the street. \’We have bread nod\’ they cried.

Then the snow came, and after the snow came the frost. The streets looked as if they were made of silver, they were so bright and glistening; long icicles like crystal daggers hung down from the eaves of the houses, everybody went about in furs, and the little boys wore scarlet caps and skated on the ice.

The poor little Swallow grew colder and colder, but he would not leave the Prince, he loved him too well. He picked up crumbs outside the baker\’s door when the baker was not looking, and tried to keep himself warm by flapping his wings.

But at last he knew that he was going to die. He had just strength to fly up to the Prince\’s shoulder once more. \’Good-bye, dear Prince!\’ he murmured, \’will you let me kiss your hand?\’

< 9 >

\’I am glad that you are going to Egypt at last, little Swallow,\’ said the Prince, \’you have stayed too long here; but you must kiss me on the lips, for I love you.\’

\’It is not to Egypt that I am going,\’ said the Swallow. I am going to the House of Death. Death is the brother of Sleep, is he not?\’

And he kissed the Happy Prince on the lips, and fell down dead at his feet.

At that moment a curious crack sounded inside the statue, as if something had broken. The fact is that the leaden heart had snapped right in two. It certainly was a dreadfully hard frost.

Early the next morning the Mayor was walking in the square below in company with the Town Councillors. As they passed the column he looked up at the statue: \’Dear me! how shabby the Happy Prince looks!\’ he said.

\’How shabby indeed!\’ cried the Town Councillors, who always agreed with the Mayor, and they went up to look at it.

\’The ruby has fallen out of his sword, his eyes are gone, and he is golden no longer,\’ said the Mayor; \’in fact, he is little better than a beggar!\’

\’Little better than a beggar,\’ said the Town Councillors.

\’And there is actually a dead bird at his feet,\’ continued the Mayor. \’We must really issue a proclamation that birds are not to be allowed to die here.\’ And the Town Clerk made a note of the suggestion.

So they pulled down the statue of the Happy Prince. \’As he is no longer beautiful he is no longer useful,\’ said the Art Professor at the University.

Then they melted the statue in a furnace, and the Mayor held a meeting of the Corporation to decide what was to be done with the metal. \’We must have another statue, of course,\’ he said, \’and it shall be a statue of myself.\’

< 10 >

\’Of myself,\’ said each of the Town Councillors, and they quarrelled. When I last heard of them they were quarrelling still.

\’What a strange thing!\’ said the overseer of the workmen at the foundry. \’This broken lead heart will not melt in the furnace. We must throw it away.\’ So they threw it on a dust-heap where the dead Swallow was also lying.

\’Bring me the two most precious things in the city,\’ said God to one of His Angels; and the Angel brought Him the leaden heart and the dead bird.

\’You have rightly chosen,\’ said God, \’for in my garden of Paradise this little bird shall sing for evermore, and in my city of gold the Happy Prince shall praise me.\’

III semester & I semester – Elements of teaching poetry

Dear students,

Do visit the site in the following link and post me your comments which may reflect your understanding of the content….

Video 1 (https://youtu.be/b8q3xX0qyDA)

Video 2 (https://youtu.be/C1t2daf5_LE)

Video 3 (https://youtu.be/YylGOdLCc8c)

After watching the videos, visit the site in the following link

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Lk4as86T2aJZAxabRc93KOcQnW6XML59

Expecting both I and II year students\’ reply….

Reading and Reflecting on Texts – "The Happy Prince"

Dear future teachers,

It is mandatory for every educated person to read and reflect over what she has read. Otherwise, it is impossible to develop Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS).

Do have a literary bend of reading while you read this incredible short story of Oscar Wilde.

HAPPY READING EXPERIENCE !!!!!

The Happy Prince – Oscar Wilde

\’Why can\’t you be like the Happy Prince?\’ asked a sensible mother of her little boy who was crying for the moon. \’The Happy Prince never dreams of crying for anything.\’

\’I am glad there is some one in the world who is quite happy\’, muttered a disappointed man as he gazed at the wonderful statue.

\’Ah! but we have, in our dreams,\’ answered the children; and the Mathematical Master frowned and looked very severe, for he did not approve of children dreaming.

\’Will you come away with me?\’ he said finally to her; but the Reed shook her head, she was so attached to her home.

\’You have been trifling with me,\’ he cried, \’I am off to the Pyramids. Good-bye!\’ and he flew away.

All day long he flew, and at night-time he arrived at the city. \’Where shall I put up?\’ he said \’I hope the town has made preparations.\’

Then he saw the statue on the tall column. \’I will put up there,\’ he cried; \’it is a fine position with plenty of fresh air.\’ So he alighted just between the feet of the Happy Prince.

Then another drop fell.

\’What is the use of a statue if it cannot keep the rain off?\’ he said; \’I must look for a good chimney-pot,\’ and he determined to fly away.

< 3 >

But before he had opened his wings, a third drop fell, and he looked up, and saw – Ah! what did he see?

The eyes of the Happy Prince were filled with tears, and tears were running down his golden cheeks. His face was so beautiful in the moonlight that the little Swallow was filled with pity.

\’Who are you?\’ he said.

\’I am the Happy Prince.\’

\’Why are you weeping then?\’ asked the Swallow; \’you have quite drenched me.\’

\’What, is he not solid gold?\’ said the Swallow to himself. He was too polite to make any personal remarks out loud.

< 4 >

\’Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow,\’ said the Prince, \’will you not stay with me for one night, and be my messenger? The boy is so thirsty, and the mother so sad.

But the Happy Prince looked so sad that the little Swallow was sorry. \’It is very cold here,\’ he said \’but I will stay with you for one night, and be your messenger.\’

\’Thank you, little Swallow,\’ said the Prince.

So the Swallow picked out the great ruby from the Prince\’s sword, and flew away with it in his beak over the roofs of the town.

< 5 >

Then the Swallow flew back to the Happy Prince, and told him what he had done. \’It is curious,\’ he remarked, \’but I feel quite warm now, although it is so cold.\’

\’That is because you have done a good action,\’ said the Prince. And the little Swallow began to think, and then he fell asleep. Thinking always made him sleepy.

When day broke he flew down to the river and had a bath.

When the moon rose he flew back to the Happy Prince. \’Have you any commissions for Egypt?\’ he cried; \’I am just starting.\’

\’Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow,\’ said the Prince, \’will you not stay with me one night longer?\’

< 6 >

\’I will wait with you one night longer,\’ said the Swallow, who really had a good heart. \’Shall I take him another ruby?\’

\’Dear Prince,\’ said the Swallow, \’I cannot do that;\’ and he began to weep.

\’Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow,\’ said the Prince, \’do as I command you.\’

\’I am beginning to be appreciated,\’ he cried; \’this is from some great admirer. Now I can finish my play,\’ and he looked quite happy.

\’I am come to bid you good-bye,\’ he cried.

\’Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow,\’ said the Prince, \’will you not stay with me one night longer?\’

< 7 >

\’I will stay with you one night longer,\’ said the Swallow, \’but I cannot pluck out your eye. You would be quite blind then.\’

\’Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow,\’ said the Prince, \’do as I command you.\’

Then the Swallow came back to the Prince. \’You are blind now,\’ he said, \’so I will stay with you always.\’

\’No, little Swallow,\’ said the poor Prince, \’you must go away to Egypt.\’

\’I will stay with you always,\’ said the Swallow, and he slept at the Prince\’s feet.

< 8 >

Then he flew back and told the Prince what he had seen.

\’I am covered with fine gold,\’ said the Prince, \’you must take it off, leaf by leaf, and give it to my poor; the living always think that gold can make them happy.\’

But at last he knew that he was going to die. He had just strength to fly up to the Prince\’s shoulder once more. \’Good-bye, dear Prince!\’ he murmured, \’will you let me kiss your hand?\’

< 9 >

\’I am glad that you are going to Egypt at last, little Swallow,\’ said the Prince, \’you have stayed too long here; but you must kiss me on the lips, for I love you.\’

\’It is not to Egypt that I am going,\’ said the Swallow. I am going to the House of Death. Death is the brother of Sleep, is he not?\’

And he kissed the Happy Prince on the lips, and fell down dead at his feet.

At that moment a curious crack sounded inside the statue, as if something had broken. The fact is that the leaden heart had snapped right in two. It certainly was a dreadfully hard frost.

\’How shabby indeed!\’ cried the Town Councillors, who always agreed with the Mayor, and they went up to look at it.

\’The ruby has fallen out of his sword, his eyes are gone, and he is golden no longer,\’ said the Mayor; \’in fact, he is little better than a beggar!\’

\’Little better than a beggar,\’ said the Town Councillors.

So they pulled down the statue of the Happy Prince. \’As he is no longer beautiful he is no longer useful,\’ said the Art Professor at the University.

< 10 >

\’Of myself,\’ said each of the Town Councillors, and they quarrelled. When I last heard of them they were quarrelling still.

\’Bring me the two most precious things in the city,\’ said God to one of His Angels; and the Angel brought Him the leaden heart and the dead bird.

\’You have rightly chosen,\’ said God, \’for in my garden of Paradise this little bird shall sing for evermore, and in my city of gold the Happy Prince shall praise me.\’

I Sem – Special English – Teaching Language through Literature

Dear Students,

I found it extremely useful and interesting, the material which I studied recently prepared by ARPIT course… This is highly relevant for our study also. Do read it and Pass your comment to me…

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1l_T60ktssP-dT6fFlhb2vNGSD0ogrU4Y/view?usp=sharing

Hope a fruitful discussion in the classroom…

Sorry, the above link doesn\’t open it seems….
Try this one

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1z1NZxGLOy0-VysSSL7Jcw-6mKsay6s1W

I sem – General English – Audio lingual method

Dear learners,

Yet another interesting method of teaching a second language is Audio lingual method.

The Audio-lingual method, Army Method is a style of teaching used in teaching foreign languages. It is based on behaviourist theory, which postulates that certain traits of living things, and in this case humans, could be trained through a system of reinforcement. An important belief of structural linguistics is that a language is primarily what it is spoken and only secondarily what is written. Speech is language. We learn to speak before we learn to read and write. So the structural linguistics pays emphasis on the spoken skills of a language (Brooks, 1964)

THE AUDIO LINGUAL METHOD

The teaching of English as a second language in the United States between the two world wars used either a modified Direct Method Approach. The Audio lingual Method (ALM) gained attention in the 1950s, largely in the USA where it was rooted in the military\’s need during World

recite the basic sentence patterns and grammatical structures. The students were given only “enough War II to train large volumes of personnel in disparate languages.

Charles C. Fries, the director of the English Language Institute at the University of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States, believed that learning structure, or grammar was the starting point for the student. In other words, it was the students\’ job to vocabulary to make such drills possible.” (Richards, J.C. et-al. 1986). Fries later included principles for behavioural psychology, as developed by B.F.Skinner, into this method.

THE PRINCIPLES OF THE AUDIO LINGUAL METHOD

Ø Language learning works best with a context.

Ø Try not to mix the L1 and L2 so interference does not occur.

Ø Teachers are used as role models for the language.

Ø Students will mimic the correct form.

Ø Language learning is habit. Repeat and drill often.

Ø Correct errors immediately. Do not allow bad habits to develop.

Ø Language is for communication.

Ø Substitution drills help students understand how language works.

Ø Positive reinforcement is good for changing habits.

Ø Verbal, and non verbal (flashcards, pictures) stimuli are used in class.

Ø Students learn to answer automatically, without thinking first.

Ø Grammar structures come first, vocabulary will follow.

Ø Rules will be induced from using examples.

Ø Follow the natural order that children do when language learning; listening, speaking, reading then writing.

Ø The teacher has a responsibility to teach the culture of the target language users.

LEARNERS ROLES

Learners play a reactive role by responding to stimuli, and thus have little control over the content, pace or style of learning. They are not encouraged to initiate interaction, because this may lead to mistakes.

The fact that in the early stages earners do not always understand the meaning of what they are repeating is not perceived as a draw back, for by listening to the teacher, imitating accurately, and responding to and performing controlled tasks they are learning a new form of verbal behavior.

TEACHERS ROLE

In Audio Lingualism, as in Situational Language teaching, the teachers role is Central and Active, it is a teacher Dominated method.

The teacher must keep the learners attentive by varying drills and tasks and choosing relevant situations to practice structures.

Language learning is seen to result from active verbal interaction between the teachers and the learners.

PROCEDURE

Brooks lists the following procedures the teacher should adopt in using the Audio Visual Method:

a.The modeling of all learning\’s by the teacher.

b.The Subordination of the Mother tongue to the second language.

c.The early and continuous training of the ear and tongue without recourse to graphic symbols.

d.The minimizing of vocabulary until all common structures have been learned.

e. The study of vocabulary only in context.

MERITS

Ø Listening and speaking skills are emphasized and, especially the former, rigorously developed.

Ø The use of visual aids is effective in vocabulary teaching.

Ø The method is just as functional and easy to execute for larger groups.

Ø Correct pronunciation and structure are emphasized and acquired.

Ø It is a teacher-dominated method.

Ø It is a mechanical method since it demands pattern practice, drilling, and memorization.

Ø The learner is in a directed role; the learner has little control over the material studied or the method of study.

DEMERITS

ØThe behaviourist approach to learning is now discredited. Many scholars have proved its weakness.

ØIt does not pay sufficient attention to communicative competence.

ØOnly language form is considered while meaning is neglected.

ØEqual importance is not given to all four skills.

ØIt is a teacher-dominated method.

ØThe learner is in a passive role; the learner has little control over their learning.

Do compare and contrast the Audio lingual method with that of the Direct method and let me know it…

I Sem – General English – Word & Sentence Stress

Word Stress

« The word is a linguistic entity composed of one or more syllables

« The syllable that is pronounced more prominently than the other(s) in the same word is said to be accented or to receive the stress

« In English there are several polysyllabic words in which more than one syllable may be prominent – one of the syllables is said to receive the primary stress; the other syllable that is secondly prominent is said to receive the secondary stress

« Primary Stress is marked with a vertical bar above & in front of the syllable to which it refers

« Secondary Stress is marked with a vertical bar below & in front of the syllable to which it refers

RULE 1:

There are some disyllabic words in which word accent depends upon whether the words are used as nouns/adjectives or as verbs.

For nouns the stress is on the first syllable

For verbs the stress is on the second syllable

Word	Noun / Adjective	Verb
conduct object product direct export

Rule : 2 Accent in Compound Words

The most common type in English is the first of the two elements receiving the primary stress.

Air – raid Cardboard

Bookshelf Footprint

Rule 3:

Words ending with –ever & -self take the stress in the second element

Her self what ever

My self when ever

Rule 4 :

Words with weak prefixes always take the accent on the root.

A board

A broad

Be come

Rule 5:

Words having weak vowel followed by a strong vowel syllables have the accent in the second syllable

Recom mend

Com pose

Ad vance

Rule 6:

Words ending in -ion take the primary stress on the penultimate syllable

admi ration

appli cation

combi nation

Rule 7:

Words ending in –ic, -ical, -ically, -ious, -ial & -ially take the stress on the previous syllable

-ic pathetic terrific

-ical optical biological

-ically chemically psychologically

-ious notorious atrocious

-ially commercially dramatically

-ial commercial memorial

Rule 8:

Words ending in –ity take the accent on the ante – penultimate syllable (third from the last syllable)

a bility fu tility

ca pacity oppor tunity

Sentence Stress

In a sentence, some words have been stressed rather than other words. This depends on the intention of the speaker. Mostly the content words receive the stress rather than the structural words.

‘He is my uncle ( not any other person, only he )

He is ‘my uncle ( not any other’s )

He is my ‘uncle ( not any other relation)

I Sem – Special English

Dear Students,

I had the opportunity of reading a research paper on the role of literature in language learning... You may also find it useful.. Here is the link.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1–lBvr75AsbKleSXZCkqx4c8FaF4LquH

You can find the materials for the concept \”Language and Power\” in the below link

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1q9q68ZGknPQ03mgeov4vvqwGKkNHVjPZ

Place of English in Indian Constitution
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1q9q68ZGknPQ03mgeov4vvqwGKkNHVjPZ

Characteristics of language
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1UqnhGdrx7H29-gT9XlgXxR6lnvwUQFMS

Role and Nature of Language
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1OwtUHA8uU7gM7lyL_5Osn35EBTQ-pGNJ

I sem – Gen. English – Word stress

Word Stress

« The word is a linguistic entity composed of one or more syllables

« The syllable that is pronounced more prominently than the other(s) in the same word is said to be accented or to receive the stress

« Primary Stress is marked with a vertical bar above & in front of the syllable to which it refers

« Secondary Stress is marked with a vertical bar below & in front of the syllable to which it refers

RULE 1:

There are some disyllabic words in which word accent depends upon whether the words are used as nouns/adjectives or as verbs.

For nouns the stress is on the first syllable

For verbs the stress is on the second syllable

Word	Noun / Adjective	Verb
conduct object product direct export

Rule : 2 Accent in Compound Words

The most common type in English is the first of the two elements receiving the primary stress.

Air – raid Cardboard

Bookshelf Footprint

Rule 3:

Words ending with –ever & -self take the stress in the second element

Her self what ever

My self when ever

Rule 4 :

Words with weak prefixes always take the accent on the root.

A board

A broad

Be come

Rule 5:

Words having weak vowel followed by a strong vowel syllables have the accent in the second syllable

Recom mend

Com pose

Ad vance

Rule 6:

Words ending in -ion take the primary stress on the penultimate syllable

admi ration

appli cation

combi nation

Rule 7:

Words ending in –ic, -ical, -ically, -ious, -ial & -ially take the stress on the previous syllable

-ic pathetic terrific

-ical optical biological

-ically chemically psychologically

-ious notorious atrocious

-ially commercially dramatically

-ial commercial memorial

Rule 8:

Words ending in –ity take the accent on the ante – penultimate syllable (third from the last syllable)

a bility fu tility

ca pacity oppor tunity

Sentence Stress

In a sentence, some words have been stressed rather than other words. This depends on the intention of the speaker. Mostly the content words receive the stress rather than the structural words.

‘He is my uncle ( not any other person, only he )

He is ‘my uncle ( not any other’s )

He is my ‘uncle ( not any other relation)

I Sem – General English – Communicative Approach

Communicative Approach

Introduction

The Communicative approach is a learner centred approach. It gives the learner not only grammatical competency but also a sort of skill as to what to say, how to say, when to say, and where to say in order to satisfy his/her daily needs or larger aims.

In the communicative approach apart from fluency of saying something, accuracy and appropriateness are equally important. Of course an efficient user of language needs to produce grammatically well – formed sentences. The teacher has to develope in the pupils both rules of use (what to say & how to say) and rules of usage (grammatically correct sentence).

Meaning

This approach pays attention to functional as well as structural aspects of language and combines these into a more fully communicative view. It emphasizes that the goal of foreign language teaching is to develop “communicative ability” among the learners.

This approach considers language not only in terms of its structures (grammar & vocabulary) but also in terms of communicative functions that it performs.

Aims of Communicative Approach

@ To develop both accuracy and fluency from the very beginning of language learning.

@ To tolerate the mistakes or errors as stepping stones to correct learning .

Importance

X The learner is helped to acquire language forms to their potential functions and /or social meaning

X The learner is placed in situations and he must use language as an instrument for satisfying communicative needs. Here the criterion for success is functional effectiveness rather than structural accuracy.

X The learner can be helped to use language as an instrument for social interaction. Ex: Role play

Purpose

Communicative ability can be achieved through communicative activities in the class. They are learner – directed activities. They can;

W Provide structural ‘whole task practice’

W Improve motivation

W Allow natural learning

W Create a content which supports learning

Types of communicative activities

There are two main categories;

Functional communicative Activities

The teacher creates a situation in which learners must solve a problem with whatever language they have at their disposal. It may not even matter whether the language is grammatically incorrect. The main purpose of his activity is that learners should use the language they know.

For example a small talk on a particular topic for just three minutes is an activity for functional communication. Success is measured primarily according to the immediate situation.

Social Interaction Activities

The learners chooses language which is not only functionally effective, but also appropriate to the social situations he is in. Learners pay greater attention to the social content in which their interaction takes place. Simulation and role play are important techniques for creating a wider variety of social situations.

Teacher’s role in Communicative Approach

The teacher must;

¶ Be a perfect model in speech

¶ Stress on oral communication not bothering about systematic grammar rules

¶ Create situations in which pupils express their ideas and suggestions

¶ Insist on meaning in speech activity more than any thing else

¶ Mediawares like TV, video and audio cassette player can be used often

¶ Give language exercises which will bring out the originality and creativity of pupil’s ideas

¶ Let the pupils observe lexis and structure unconsciously

¶ Create where the pupils speak more on his own

¶ At a later stage, make pupils describe things and explain functions of certain organs, machines, etc.

Merits

C By interacting in pairs and small groups, pupils feel confident and do better.

C Learning will be self- generating exercise

C They get more language practice because nobody feels inhibited by grammatical rules and definitions

C They acquire fluency and accuracy and appropriateness of English use

C Co-operation in language learning is a great motivating factor and helps each individual to shed his shyness and show his individuality in using English.

Demerits

D Our overcrowded class rooms and unwidely benches make group work and face to face discussion very difficult to organize.

D An average teacher with limited language skills cannot make a success of their approach

D When the students can well communicative in their mother tongue, there is no genuine desire in them to talk in English and take part in elaborate discussions in English.

D Detailed classroom techniques integrating the textual lesson and communicative tasks have yet to be evolved for the benefit of the teachers of English

Conclusion

In the present global village, English is a growing and living language. This has created awareness among the people to learn the language in its time form and manner. It is in this respect that the language skills are to be developed, nurtured, cultured and harnessed.

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
					1	2
3	4	5	6	7	8	9
10	11	12	13	14	15	16
17	18	19	20	21	22	23
24	25	26	27	28	29

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
					1	2
3	4	5	6	7	8	9
10	11	12	13	14	15	16
17	18	19	20	21	22	23
24	25	26	27	28	29

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“Must have strong oral and written communication skills.”

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Do compare and contrast the Audio lingual method with that of the Direct method and let me know it…

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