OGDEN's BASIC ENGLISH INSTITUTE
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Analytical English Conversation Teaching Method.
A given English statement is now understood as to its sense, grammatical structure, form and sound of each word, and relation between words and/or phrases. The most important thing to be done next is to talk English by the immediate use of the English statement, which we have just now learnt, without addition of any new words. It is because our final purpose of learning English is to use English for some work. Therefore the practice of using English is the most important. The most effective practice is to use the English upon learning English. But it must be done without using any new words to keep learners from getting into confusion. The practical use of English is better covered with the talk of English than with the writing of it. Thus if we really think about the best way of teaching or learning English, it is to realize that we are facing a question of how to speak English by the immediate use of a given English without addition of any new words.
If we have to speak English by the use of an English statement, which we have learnt, without addition of any new words, all we can do is to make a change in the position of each word and/or each phrase in the given English statement and make questions and answers for letting a teacher and a learner, or two learners, talk such questions and answers between them.
Question statements are of two types, one of which has question words and the other without question words. If question words are not used, what we can do with a given English statement is only to make one set of a question and an answer by exchange in position between subject and verbs “be" and "have” or by addition of the word “do” to the subject. Making only one set of a question and an answer is not our desire, better is to make as many questions and answers as possible in order to make the English practice effective. Addition of any new words is also not our desire to keep learners from confusion.
But if we use question words we will be able to make many questions and answers out of a given English statement and then the amount of our practice will be accordingly increased. Thus the most effective practice of talking English is to make as many questions and answers as possible from a given English statement by use of question words and "do" conversation with all these questions and answers. The use of question words does not form any substantial addition of new words to a given English statement because question words are few in number and quite general.
In order to make questions out of a given English statement we must make a decision of which part of a given English statement has to be made into a question. For this purpose a given English statement will have to be analyzed into each part, which will be changed into each group of a question and answer. But there is no rule of how to analyze a given English statement into each part.
Therefore an English teacher must be well experienced in making this sort of analysis of an English statement for the best practice of English talk with use of the obtained questions and answers. If an English teacher is not used to making the best analysis, the teacher will give learners only confusion.
A learner several times reads one group of a question and answer by looking at them on the first paper and following the way a teacher reads them. After this the teacher puts the question to the learner and lets him give the answer by looking at the statement on the second paper. The answer and question are not given the second paper.
When the learner is going to give the answer he has to give the answer only by looking at the statement. So the learner gets serious but interested because of being able to give the answer theoretically and experimentally on basis of the statement. This learner's psychological process keeps the learner's interest fresh and gets it increased gradually. This process is the only answer to learners who have been at a loss of what to do between a conventional preselected conversation , where a learner tends to get bored, and a conventional free conversation, where a learner often finds it uneasy to be less guided in the new language.
The most exciting situation, however, comes out when the conversation using the questions and answers is done between the teacher and the learner without looking at anything. Then the conversation is almost like the one which
is seen when people talk with each other. This will certainly put the learners in a position where they are being able to talk English almost by themselves.
This teaching method is possible with almost an equal effect even between a teacher and many learners or between learners if the teacher is able to think about the way of letting each learner talk with him in turn or letting learners talk between them in turn. In other words, the most effective PAIR WORK task is possible in this method.
The selection of a text book also has much to do with whether learners’ interest is kept. An interesting short story in each lesson is advisable. It is also important to give learners words to learn as an international second language, for example, such as BASIC English. Specially BASIC English is the most recommended because BASIC English words and statements have been developed by world-widely famous language philosophers and the fundamental ideas of Basic English are given birth through those philosophers' research and study about what a language is. These philosophers say that a language is what we have been taking as mind or sprit or judgment. Why is it possible that words are connected with each other ? It is because words have senses which can not be seen and touched but are controlling us . Basic words are simple but because of being simple they have a great number of senses and therefore are capable of getting other words connected. This connection makes it possible for people to talk without taking much time to let next words come out of their head.
If questions and answers in this teaching method are put into the voice program, such as "ReadPlease", and the learning is done as per this teaching method, a learner can learn English conversation by himself with almost the same effect as learning from native English speakers. But a learner needs to have another learner who does the operation of a computer. The operation is naturally done in turn between the two learners.
This teaching method is applicable when English speaking persons want to learn Japanese.
Although this method is proper for a learner coming to a stage where he understands a given English statement as to its sense, grammatical structure, form and sound of each word, and relation between words and/or phrases. But even before a learner comes to such a stage this system is still quite effective if a text is selected according to the level
of learners.
Though there is an above mention of no rule of making questions and answers out of a given statement, there is a rule if the rule is in the form based on experiences of long years of practical English use and teaching at the front. The rule gives the questions and answers to let learners get used to English speaking, English making, and English Grammar understanding at the same time. These three different teachings, which are simultaneously done, are a real teaching through action by saving time formed by conventional separate teaching of the three teachings . In fact why do Japanese people not generally speak English after they learn English even after 10 years at middle school, high school, and university in Japan ? This is one of the most innocent questions to which most English teachers seem to be keeping their mouth's shut to an answer. It seems to me that in Japan most English teachers never try to let each of all the learners open their mouths for talking English, do pair work tasks between a teacher and each learner and then between learners, and that they never think of how to open learners' mouths for talk of English
with excitement, though excitement is the only way of keeping learners' interest without letting them give up the learning of English on the way.
Saburo Terada
Thursday, December 04, 2003
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1. ReadPlease is a program which
is sold in CDs and makes a change from letters to voices on a computer
window. These voices give English, America,
German, French, etc. and are able to be adjusted in volume, speed, speakers
and time during which speakers give
their voices. So the statements, questions and answers in my system are put
into ReadPlease and then ReadPlease
American speakers will talk each of statements and questions in English to
learners and wait until a learner gives each
answer. If the learner can not answer, he can hear the answer by letting the
program give a voice. This may make it unnecessary
for a learner to have an English teacher, except facing a teacher may give a
learner an important chance of a serious learning feeling. In the summer of last
year ReadPlease made something available to give a voice bar
control. to be sold to serious users. ReadPlease needs another learner who operates a computer in turn.
[ ReadPlease, "software that lets your computer talk", has both a free version for download (11MB) or $10 delivered on CD. There are also various options of increasing value that includes ATT Natural Voice for up to US$150. -- ed]
Also, use ReadPlease to listen to works written in Basic English