As others see us

Crichton, H. (2006) As others see us. Scottish Languages Review(13),

Abstract

This article describes a small piece of research, which was undertaken to gain pupils’ perceptions of techniques and strategies used by teachers who use the target language extensively in the modern languages classroom. A sample of S3 pupils from one school, representing a variety of ability levels, was interviewed about their language teachers’ efforts to develop their oral skills in the foreign language (French). The aim was to explore the learners’ perspective of this approach. The pupils interviewed were aware of many of the techniques their teachers used in the classroom to help them improve their speaking skills and considered that the teachers’ use of the TL did facilitate development of their language skills. When talking about their own contributions in the foreign language, all pupils mentioned the embarrassment of speaking out in front of their peers as an issue inhibiting their participation. However, they also indicated which activities made them feel more secure and disposed to speak. The study was exploratory and on a very small scale but suggests the need for more research into the strategies ML teachers use to overcome learners’ inhibitions and that successfully promote development of pupils’ oral skills.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Crichton, Dr Hazel
• Authors: Crichton, H.
• Subjects: P Language and Literature > PE English
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Education; College of Social Sciences > School of Education > Pedagogy, Praxis & Faith
• Journal Name: Scottish Languages Review
• Publisher: Scottish CILT
• ISSN: 1756-039X