Use of Mother Tongue in Foreign Language Teaching: True or False?

One of my memories of language teaching is always fresh in my memory and comes to mind whenever I teach English to first graders. I was enthusiastically listing the classroom rules in English to a first-year student and talked nonstop for 2-3 minutes. I was going to continue when I found my student imitating me in anger with "blablablablabla" and interrupted my speech. At that moment, I had enlightenment. Everything I said to this boy sounded "blablablablabla" at that moment. The words I said had no meaning to him. Even if I spoke for another 3 minutes, he would not understand me. And at that moment, I realized that the stereotypes of "never speak your mother tongue while teaching English", and "the child will never speak to you again in English once she/he hears you speak Turkish" do not work in practice anymore.

The use of mother tongue (L1) in foreign language (FL) education is a highly controversial issue.

According to the language acquisition theory, some educators believe in constant and intense exposure to the target language, while some educators and even the studies conducted in the last ten years argue that the mother tongue facilitates the learning process for both the teacher and the learner.

In the first years of my teaching, I was afraid to speak Turkish, which is my mother tongue, like it was a sin, as we were taught in our classes in undergraduate programs. However, over the years, when I use only the target language with some of my students, especially those who were afraid of making mistakes, went out of their comfort zone very hard, tried to develop self-confidence skills, and had difficulties in learning a new language, these students' motivation to learn a language, their self-confidence, and their focus decrease drastically. I even observed that there was a regression in their learning. Observing these students and at the time that I saw that they did not understand, going next to them, repeating the instruction in my mother tongue, or asking them how they were when I caught them alone from time to time, relieved them and strengthened the bond between us. It is very pleasing to see that these experiences I had had a place in the research of Swain and Lapkin (2000) and Macaro (2000).

Which way should we choose when teaching a foreign language (FL)?

As a language teacher, I recommend making some clear distinctions before deciding which path to take.

First of all, the age range of your student audience is very important. According to the two language acquisition theories in the field (critical period and brain plasticity), the first threshold is 5 years old, and the second threshold is 12 (pre-adolescence). After these ages, it is very difficult to "acquire" the language, that is, to learn the language the way a baby learns their mother tongue (L1).

The main goal in "language acquisition" is to adopt the language placed on top of the mother tongue (L1) as a second language (L2). The brain thinks, speaks, reads, and writes the acquired language in a close manner to the mother tongue (L1) at a later age. Therefore, if your student is less than 12 years old, you can go for language acquisition.

So what does this mean? Intense repetition as much as possible, condensed input (series, movies, cartoons, songs, dialogs in the target language), adapting the language you will teach to every moment of your life, instilling language through body language, imitation, exploratory learning, and play. At this point, I suggest you avoid using your native language(L1). However, as I mentioned at the beginning of the article, if you have exceptional students, reluctance to learn, hesitancy, or loss of motivation, you can use L1 depending on the dose.

If your learners are children over the age of 12, adolescents, or even adults, it will take a huge toll on both you and your students to embrace teaching and not "acquire" the language. Because after this point, the language you will give will no longer be your student's second language (L2), but their foreign language (FL).

After determining the age and language education approach, the second question is,

To what extent and how will you use the mother tongue (L1) during teaching?

Although this question varies according to the teacher, student profile, and the language target determined, it can be summarized under several main headings based on the research:

Using it by Paying Attention to Its Main Function and Social Function

Hall & Cook (2013) discovered in their research that teachers speak their mother tongue in class only for the purpose of teaching the language. In other words, teachers use their mother tongue when teaching grammar structure or vocabulary, or when determining whether students have grasped the subject matter. Interestingly, contrary to what we have been taught, there is no evidence in the field that using the mother tongue with this function interferes with language learning. The secondary function, where L1 is often used in the classroom, is to give instructions or manage the class.

I realized that when I bring the suffix "-cim, -cim", which shows sincerity in Turkish, to my students in my classes, I draw their attention, the emotional bond established between us is strengthened, and they strive to fulfill what I expect from them unconditionally. Even these small additions to the target language that you transfer from your mother tongue can have a big impact.

Applying the Sandwich Technique (a mother tongue word between the two extreme foreign language sentences)

The main language you speak in the classroom should definitely be the target language. You can use one-word explanations in your mother tongue which you cannot show with your body language, where the meaning is complex and the content of the task you are giving is more important than the instruction itself. For example; in the "match the words with the pictures on your own" directive, say "eşleştir" in your own language after highlighting the word "match" ; and say "kendi kendine" after emphasizing the phrase "on your own".

Using Bilingual Images

Another effective method in which the mother tongue plays a role in foreign language teaching is to use of visuals. Such as posters in your school or classroom where the content is more important than the language (class rules, help statements, headlines, etc.), descriptions of your classroom work, or flashcards of your favorite instructions.

Getting Help from Other Students as a Translator

You don't have to be the only native speaker. You can ask a student who you think speaks fluently and correctly in the target language to retransmit an instruction or a speech whose content you think is important in their mother tongue.

Creating "Mother Tongue Times"

Constant exposure to a foreign language, especially at a young age, requires constant high focus. This, in turn, triggers fatigue and a feeling of boredom. Surprise your students when you feel these moments. Give 2-3 minutes of "L1 Time" depending on the course of your lesson plan. This brief return to the mother tongue will increase your students' focus, and lead to a moment of a shake-up and perceptual relaxation.

Shut the Eyes to L1 in Group Studies

In group work, it is an excellent example of a skill for students to experience the target language themselves and establish a dialogue among themselves. However, as the subjects get more difficult, it becomes difficult to reach a common decision and produce a product in group work. Doing this in a foreign language also affects the efficiency of the process. If speaking or listening is not the skill you want to gain in group work, you can let them practice the language of communication in their mother tongue. In fact, I witnessed such moments in this type of group work that, thanks to peer learning and language transition, my student was able to teach the words that I could not teach to my student, using the right pronunciation and the right content.

In short, it is not a sin to use the mother tongue when teaching a foreign language, dear language teachers. In fact, it is now a proven fact in the literature that it contributes to language learning, as it will of course vary depending on how much you use it and for what purpose. Below I share the links to the research on which this fact is based. In fact, if you wish, you can measure the expectations of your students by applying the "Survey on Use of Native Language in the Classroom" mentioned in Cambrigde's article on this subject.

When I discovered the healing and unifying power of the mother tongue in foreign language teaching, I would like to end my article with another memory that breaks the stereotypes engraved in our minds:

My students who didn't feel safe speaking English heard me speak Turkish, and I also had students who spoke English fluently and accurately, who heard me speaking Turkish even though I was hiding. To them, when I ask the question,

"Would you like me to speak to you in English or Turkish?"

the answer is always the same without any exceptions,

"English"

In other words, whether you speak your mother tongue or a foreign language, once the student has accepted you as the teacher of the target language, he or she will always want to hear the target language from you. To sum up, don't worry, trust your students and teacher's intuition, realize the need, and don't limit yourself or your student with the language you want to teach, just focus on the message you want to give.

Resources:

1. Hall, G. & Cook, G. (2013). Own-language Use in ELT: Exploring global practices and attitudes. London: British Council. 31st December 2018.

2. Macaro, E. (2000). Issues in target language teaching. In Field, K. (Ed.) Issues in Modern Foreign Languages Teaching. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge: pp. 171–189.

3. Swain, M. and Lapkin, S. (2000). Task-based second language learning: the use of the first language. Language Teaching Research, 4(3): pp. 251–274.

4. https://www.cambridge.org/ai/files/6315/7488/4318/CambridgePapersInELT_UseOfL1_2019_ONLINE-2.pdf

New Perspectives in Language Education: Experiences from UES 2023 ELT Festival

Unlimited Education Services company, which includes publishing houses such as Macmillan, Blackcat, Helbling, Richmond, brought together more than ten experts in the field of education from around the world with us, education leaders, on 2-3-4 March in Antalya Trendy Lara. This deep breath, which we took away from the speed and intensity of our school life, allowed me to enter that intensity again with incredible motivation and excitement to apply what I have taken.

Combining the earthquake disaster we experienced in the last month in our country and the destruction in every sense that followed, with the chosen "women" as the main theme of this year's education, Sunay Akin enthusiastically tells us about the indestructible pillars on which the Republic was built, such as Nüzhet Gökdoğan, Adile Sultan, Selim Sabit Efendi. Mr. Akın emphasized that this country cannot be shaken if we can keep these names and their achievements alive in our memories and embroider them in our culture. After this striking opening speech, I would like to take responsibility and present the experts who touched on many different issues in the field of education and the notes I took from their speeches under sub-titles:

Herbert Puchta - Social-emotional learning with primary children: More than just a bandwagon?

Puchta started his speech by comparing a teacher to a tightrope walker trying to balance the materials in his/her hands. He emphasized that the teacher is the leader of the class and the leadership is to create an environment in which people want to live. So why would children want to live in the world within those four walls that they enter every day? What kind of classroom climate should a teacher create so that the child wants to grow in it?

1. With the emotional bond created with genuine, sincere feelings,

2. When the child finds an environment where he/she can freely express the views he/she has acquired from his/her environment,

3. With stories involving real life, including his teacher.

Look back at your own student years. Which teacher or teachers are still alive in your memory? If we were to tell you a story from your student years, which teacher would you choose? If the answer is not based on any of the points Punchta listed above, let's discuss it below the article :)

Creating such a classroom climate is closely related to the language used by the teacher; for example, when a student comes to you and says, "My grandfather is about to die," instead of saying, "Unfortunately, that's how life works," it is better to say, "I understand your pain and what you're feeling. I'm really sorry to hear that. How can I make you feel better?” try to be empathetic or another example, “No one wants to be friends with me”. Instead of approaching the child with implicit and accusations such as "I wonder what you did, they don't want to be friends with you," put the words like this "This is really frustrating. It must be difficult for you. Can you tell me what you did to make friends?" Similarly, both an empathic and solution-oriented approach can provide language integrity that will strengthen the emotional bond mentioned above.

In addition to the constructive language used, recent studies show that welcoming students when they enter the school or classroom, increases success by 20 percent and reduces disruptive behavior by 9 percent (Cook, Fiat & Larson, 2018). That's why Puchta suggests we should have a morning welcome routine.

Another important issue in social-emotional development is to create of a classroom environment that supports freedom of thought and free expression. This is possible not only with a classroom where the teacher decides on the content but also by creating a learning environment where children are given choices and their opinions are taken into consideration. At this point, getting to know your students and suggesting activities for their interests and learning styles always positively affects the classroom climate; for example, you can give the option to express your assessment of the topic you are covering, not just with a given handout, but with a dance figure, a poster, an infographic, a drama sketch.

Puchta also clarified the subject of values ​​education, which is highly debated in the education community. He stated that instead of giving the values ​​as written educational content, it could be possible by modeling the values ​​that the teacher instilled in his/her life or based on a true story.

My conclusion from social-emotional learning is to make children feel that everything is possible if they want, without rasping their dreams, without limiting them with a general view, to believe that they can do it to make it possible and to work without giving up on this, to support them on the path they want to go.

Katy Kelly - Ready to Roll with Young Learners: Developing Creativity in Young Learners

Kelly came on stage with such energy that the main theme of her presentation was the “What can we do?” moment. What would we do with this energy? The more we can make children experience these moments in our lesson contents, the more place we will gain in their memory. Just as Kelly had in our memories.

Human psychology often finds many excuses if it doesn't want to do something that won't make it possible. It gets stuck on what it has and what it can't change, not what it can change. So it says "I tried, but it's beyond my will and power" and gets out of the way. We teachers, too, often complain about the intensity of the yearly plan, which is not at our initiative, the lack of time, and the extreme expectations of the administration and parents. These are all real and truly limiting challenges. What about realities that we can change, that are in our hands, and whose difficulty or ease is up to us?

Instead of clearly understanding what is expected and wanted from us, adopting an intertwined approach (the triangle of management, parents, children), choosing activities suitable for ourselves, our class, and our children, giving children a voice, and instead of imposing our own point of view and beliefs, give them an ear to express themselves however absurd it would sound and to listen to the contradictory thoughts coming from them, even if they come. How many of these can we do? More importantly, how do we do them?

• When you stop putting yourself as a teacher at the center of everything. When you are open to collaboration in your classroom and school. When you give the other end of the rope to your teammate, manager, parent, or child.

• When you see not only your destination but the journey itself as the realization of learning,

• When it creates environments where children can think freely,

• When you feel courageous and give courage,

• When you ask the right questions at the right time,

• When you accept possibilities, not the existence of a single truth.

go back and see what you can't change. Do you still see the same indestructible mountain or is it just a path to be crossed hand in hand with children?

David Spencer - No One Gets Left Behind: Inclusion and Diversity in the ELT Classroom

Spencer started his speech with a question, “What differences do you encounter in your students?”. Since I am a language teacher, I immediately listed the difference in language level, the difference in interests or the instantly changing moods of the students. However, when you say difference, you need to go to the bottom. Gender, character, socio-economic status, cultural and language background, learner profile, parent expectations, and interests, etc. As a teacher, is it fair to write a single lesson plan for so many differences, have them do the same activities and expect the same results, or even go further?

Audre Lorde said,

“It is not our differences that separate us, it is our inability to identify, accept and celebrate those differences”.

How many of your children's differences were you able to identify? Were you able to accept all of the differences you identified and create appropriate content? To what extent were you able to celebrate the results of these ingredients, however little you think? Shall we stop and think together?

If you would like to follow David Spencer's work and be informed about his training: https://www.facebook.com/teachwithdave

Jason Levine - Unleashing the Power of Music, lyrics, and Video to Enhance Communicative Skills and Foster a Love for Literature

As I mentioned in my previous article on the strong relationship between music and language, the brain learns language much more easily with music and rhythm. That's why I take my ukulele in my lessons, especially in small groups, and keep a rhythm with the words I aim to learn. What about learning English by rap? A great idea! I do not want to describe this part with such dry sentences, I leave you alone with Jason Levine Black Cat, who made my heart beat and made me adopt the delicious songs that I was dying to sing.

If you're a language teacher and your students don't like readers, grab some of The Black Cat's level books and open a Cathcy English channel for them by Jason Levine before reading.

Yavuz Samur - Game, Gamification and Educational Game Design

I can't really count how many times I got this training from Yavuz Samur. However, even though I memorize the content and use his games at every moment of my lessons, I will never tire of listening to Samur and being surprised by the fact that he captivates a whole audience with his play.

He says to leave all excuses aside, lack of time, curriculum, lack of materials, bad weather, management's disapproval, making noise, fatigue, this or that. Make time for the game! Believe me, this is not a time wasted, all that socio-emotional learning mentioned above, leaving no student behind, nurturing student creativity and freedom is leading to the one magical word, “GAME”.

The child heals with game.

So what games are these? In Samur's research, it is surprising that in the first five games that children want to play at school, there are no digital games, on the contrary, there are team games where they improve their social skills and focus on togetherness such as football, hide-and-seek, basketball, high ground, and volleyball. However, in the other research conducted, the preschool group sees the place of the game in the educational content in a wide scope, while the traces of the game are seen at the grade levels at the beginning of each level in primary, secondary, high school, university and later, the game does not exist in the last grade, unfortunately. However, the content acquired through the game stays in our memory for a long time and is not deleted. When we change the environment in which each lesson is taught, the brain matches and codes the content with the space. He says that we learned the following in the lessons of the parts of the plant we cultivate in the garden, or when we tell the content and include our emotions in the work, permanent learning is provided. Subjects that are frequently repeated in various ways are not forgotten. When we start a lesson with a stimulating game, then give the content we want to teach, and finally evaluate it with a game, the given content becomes permanent.

Why do we prefer monotonous lessons when we can tell the content you are going to give with pleasure and find a response with joyful laughter? When or why did we stop laughing and making fun?

Steven J. Ogden - Getting Productive! Inspiring Learners to Write

The last skill to develop in a foreign language has always been "writing". Gathering thoughts, organizing them, expressing them correctly, making non-repetitive sentences, choosing words, spell checking and checking, etc. It requires thinking of many separate stages in an integrated way. For this reason, it is a very painful process, especially for those who learn a foreign language at an early age and those who teach it at an early age. While I was thinking about how I can make children love writing, how I can stage them more easily, and how I can guide them correctly so that this process will become an easy and enjoyable process for them, I attended Steven J Ogden's workshop, which focuses on this skill.

1. Starting

2. Analyzing

3. Practicing (reviewing, editing)

4. Planning and Organizing

5. Creating a Draft

6. Publishing

This is the order that anyone who starts writing small and big should follow. After you've sparked the brainstorming needed to get started, of course. Maybe before we start, a word cloud that can be used in the article as a whole class can be done. Children can start by choosing words from this cloud. When it comes to the analysis part, semi-structured target grammar structures can be given and students can be expected to complete them. Until the article is published, the author should constantly review and edit the text he/she wrote. This stage is returned as needed and the process is continued until the writing appears. The child needs verbal and written feedback after each paragraph, sometimes even after each sentence. Understanding and applying the given feedback also includes skills such as patience, perseverance, and determination. As you can see, the child follows a blended process in which he/she actively uses his/her reading and writing skills. Writing education is a long and complex journey.

Knowing the genres in older age groups also keeps the learner on the road and helps them walk toward the goal. Storytelling, descriptive narrative, informative narrative, thought narrative, and diary writing are a few of them. Introducing these types of narratives in adult education before they start writing will be of great benefit to the student in the writing process.

Ogden, who helped me consolidate these little-known processes, started the workshop by giving examples from ChatGPT, which we are all under surveillance at the moment. This artificial intelligence program, which presents all the above-mentioned processes through its own filter, seems to make the lives of both the teacher and the student much easier. My take for myself was to tell ChatGPT to simplify or complicate the language, and to prepare worksheets or assessment tools based on the texts it wrote, in my differentiated activities, especially focusing on reading and writing skills. I can even say that ChatGPT has a hand in the title of this article :)

It was difficult for me to summarize two whole days filled with education, I hope it was easy for you to read.

I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this comprehensive and qualified program, which has been planned in a way that will not excuse the slightest disruption, where every detail has been considered, by every member of the UES family, and the education experts who offered a feast to the teachers who are hungry for learning. Hoping to see many more in the field and to build many columns reinforced by education so that this country will not collapse…

The Relationship between Music and Language Learning

The methods I used in my classroom, the enthusiastic attitude of the children, the visible progress in the learning process and the feedback I received from the parents encouraged me to research the relationship between music and language learning and write an article for ÜtopÇa.

Music has such an inclusive use in literature that it is not surprising that it supports language learning. The reason for this is that music and language meet on a common ground in people's communication with each other and even in expressing themselves.

A baby begins to hear a person's speech in the same way as a musical note, sing a word, and begin to produce sounds in the same way. In the same way that the brain does not look at music and language as separate parts at an early age, it perceives language as a very special part of music. There are also those who argue that our speaking situation, which is a form of communication, has evolved from our original development and the way we use music. This explains the overlap in the neural connections associated with music and language in our brains, and why a child who engages in music is better at grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation of any language.

It has been proven that children who begin their musical education before the age of seven have a larger vocabulary, higher verbal IQ (Intelligence Quotient) and a better perception of grammar. This conclusion is also based on the example of the Guardian columnist, Liisa Henriksson-Macaulay.

“In my home country of Finland, the average citizen can speak three or five different languages ​​– after all, no one understands our complex mother tongue. But babies in Finland acquire the basic musical skills through song and play, a tradition of our own early music education, Finnish 'Finnish'. It is quite possible that it has affected the fluency of the students in foreign languages."

Also, in a recent study with children aged nine and under, it was concluded that children who received only one hour of music instruction had higher proficiency in pronunciation and grammar in foreign languages, compared to their friends who did different activities.

Music can be seen as a cultural and artistic formation, but it has been frequently encountered in the field of cognitive neuroscience in recent years. Music stimulates activations in the right brain, where the auditory part of our brain is located. This is learning and memory; flexibility of the brain; perceptual operations; and activates the mirror neuron system. Thus, visual patterns such as certain sounds and musical notes continuously provide feedback to us throughout our learning process, including different perceptions.

Like language, music is hierarchically structured. It serves different perceptions arranged in series. Thus, music and language complement each other in the study of the brain mechanisms underlying complex sound processing. Therefore, music and instruments are used as promising instructional tools in education; Mozart Effect, Orff Schulwerk, Dalcroze Method, Gordon's Music Learning Theory are popular musical education approaches.

Of course, the relationship between music and language is not limited to children under the age of nine. It is quite possible to see the effect of music on language in adults:

Take Ken Stringfellow, an American singer-songwriter known for his work in Posies and REM, as an example of the influence of music on foreign language learning ability. Ken married a French woman ten years ago, in his thirties, and was introduced to a new language that was completely foreign to him and was able to learn it in a jiffy. It may come as a surprise that Ken, who has no educational background next to adults who studied French at school for 12 years, or who, like us, studied English for 12 years in primary school but could not speak a word, could learn a whole new language so quickly and at such a late age. However, it is obvious that Ken's brain, who has devoted himself to music since infancy, greatly increases his brain capacity for syntax, semantics and pronunciation, which are necessary when learning a new language in adulthood.

In short, infuse music into your life as much as you can. Listen to songs, sing, "the job after forty?" learn to play an instrument without saying; Challenge yourself and add innovations to your life. Even you will not believe how much you have changed in your life by attempting only one thing. If you have a child or any other child around you, immerse him in the music, dance with him, discuss the lyrics, shout or feel the wrong but right song with your heart.

For in-class work, you can check the links below:

My student who studied piano in Grade 1 and received only ten hours of English per week:

"Food names" work for 1st Graders

"Preposition" work for 1st Graders

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Kaynakça:

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/feb/27/musicians-better-language-learners

https://neurosciencenews.com/music-language-brain-9075/

http://ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/elt/article/view/23819

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/307014316_Music_and_Language_Learning

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261634603_Music_Education_and_the_Brain_What_Does_It_Take_to_Make_a_Change

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