Whole Language Resources in English Language Teaching and Learning

Teaching English as a Foreign Language

While there are a number of commonly accepted, viable approaches to teaching English as a foreign language, there are elements of the whole language approach as postulated by Rubin, which lend themselves well to a broad range of methodologies and program types. It is important however, to consider how the inclusion of these will be viewed on the part of the English as a foreign language learners themselves.

English as a Foreign Language Learning Resources

• Listening Laboratory – used to play audio recordings for repeating, substitution drills and guided speaking practice individually or in groups of up to 50 foreign language learners

• Audio-visual auditoriums – these are designed for showing audio-visual presentations to medium or large groups of learners up to 100 or more at a time

• Computer rooms – relatively new on the didactics scene as a regular medium of instruction, computer rooms have earned an indemnible space in foreign language teaching and learning especially when combined with internet access

• Conversation clubs – when continual practice in speech fluency needs practicing on an on-going basis , a regular conversation-based series of sessions can be established for the EFL learners. This can also be a great venue for connected speech elements acquisition and practice.

• Cinema clubs – almost certainly foreign language learner will love videos, documentaries, shorts and full-length feature films in their target language.

• Poetry and literary group sessions – depending on your foreign language learners’ levels of course, rhythm, rhyme and rap in addition to poetry, can be a highly effective means of vocabulary, grammar, idioms and expression and other linguistics elements practice. Shakespeare has been a long-term favorite.

Foreign Language Learning Practice

Teachers can introduce, model and practice grammatical themes with their foreign language learners to a somewhat limited degree during class hours. The number of class contact hours though, can at times be severely limited. A minimum of five contact hours of class per week is an absolute minimum requisite for successful foreign language acquisition, although there are far too many classes in school systems and institutes which have fewer than this. In order in increment foreign language exposure, active and passive learning and provide regular foreign language practice, additional resources, as listed above, can be called into play. All the foreign language learning resources in the world, however, will be of little value if the learners do not avail themselves of these resources when and where available.
Why Ignore Foreign Language Learning Resources

But why wouldn’t foreign language learners avail themselves of such a plethora of linguistic resources, if they are indeed, effective in any way? To gain more insight, I interviewed a number of EFL learners on their attitudes and motives for using or not using additional language learning and practice resources.

Here are some highlights:

• Scheduled times are inconvenient – When specific hours are assigned for EFL learners to attend Listening Laboratory sessions, for example, the assigned hours may not necessarily be good ones that fit in well with learner class schedules in other subjects.

• Activities are repetitive or boring – pre-recorded listening laboratory activities can tend to be repetitive, quickly becoming uninteresting or even boring for learners.

• Lack of motivation – Learners can and do lack intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for foreign language learning activities. When such is the case, additional resources which may be available will typically be ignored or remain unused by these types of learners.

• Foreign language learners fail to see or understand the benefits of extra-curricular language acquisition and practice activities – It’s often a case of EFL or foreign language learners simply not understanding the real benefits that attending and participating in these types of extra-curricular foreign language or language acquisition and practice Activities can bring to their language learning efforts.

• Foreign language learners fail to have sufficient time to engage in extra-curricular foreign language learning activities – The case may simply be that the EFL learners do not have sufficient time outside of class hours to attend and participate in extra-curricular foreign language acquisition and practice activities despite their accepted benefits.

Foreign Language Learning Resources: What Can Be Done?

So what might possibly be done to help remedy or at least alleviate the main crux of this on-going problem of foreign language learners not availing themselves of valuable language practice and acquisition resources when available? In the following segment of this article, we’ll discuss some suggestions in more detail.

See you then.


Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 135 countries. Get your FREE E-book, “If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.

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Part 2 More Critical Points in English Language and Foreign Language Testing and Evaluation

Testing, Evaluation and Assessment in EFL and Foreign Language Classes
We’ll continue to look at some critical points which need to be considered along with the English as a foreign or second language testing, evaluation and assessment processes. Generally, similar conditions and aspects apply to the teaching and learning of other foreign languages as well. So, we’ll discuss some additional points here in the second part of this two-part article post.

4. Allow a Sufficient Amount of Time

As an English as a foreign language or other foreign language teacher, have you ever taken the time to sit down and actually DO one of your own exams? If not, how do you determine the length of time required to complete an exam? Of course, your EFL learners likely will take much longer than you will to complete an exam, but you do need at least some benchmark to establish time parameters. Say double or triple your time of completion for your foreign language learners and you’ll be somewhere in the ball park.

5. Explain Exam and Test-taking Parameters Clearly

“Oh, my English language learners know what to do”, you say? Tell them the rules anyway. Watch their faces. When you see the “lights go on” in some of their faces you’ll realize the need for this. This also aids you in “putting your foot down” when something goes awry. You can then say with authority, “I told you about that before the exam”. If the language class must turn off cellular phones, MP3, MP4, iPod or other electronic devices, refrain from going into purses, bags, or abide by other specific regulations, be sure they know in advance of the test-taking period and again immediately before the exam begins. This has saved my bacon moiré than once over the years, and it will yours too, when done regularly.

6. ENFORCE Your Parameters and Test-taking Regulations or Parameters

You’d think that your English as a foreign language learners would then blithely adhere to your correct parameters when taking tests, evaluations or assessments of their foreign language knowledge and communicative skills. Oh, but if that only were true. Unfortunately, you know and I know that there will always be the “jokers”, the “Clowns”, the inept and the ever-present “unmotivated”, “disinterested” or “unprepared” who will seemingly do their absolute utmost to deride even your best efforts. Fore-warned is almost always fore-armed.

Your Feedback is Encouraged

As always, your feedback, questions, comments, insights and suggestions are encouraged. What works – or doesn’t, for you and your English as a foreign language learners, along with any interesting experiences you might have can be posted.



Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, prolific writer, author and public speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 100 countries. Get your FREE E-book, "If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.

Three Critical Points in English Language and Foreign Language Testing and Evaluation

Testing Evaluation and Assessment in EFL

“No teacher, why do we have to take exams?” Do you get this question as I often do? While there are a multitude of possible answers, nevertheless we must, in regular intervals, evaluate or test our groups of English as a foreign language learners, in addition to learners of other foreign languages as well. But before running off half-baked to twist and squeeze the wearied brains of our charges, let’s take just a moment to look at some critical points which need to be considered along with the testing, evaluation and assessment processes. We’ll discuss the first three points here in part one of this two-part article post.

1. Test ONLY Material Which Has Been Actually Taught

It quite common that exams are regularly pre-scheduled into the English or other foreign language curriculum, but hold on there Hoss, `cause there can be a few monkey wrenches thrown into the works that need to be accounted for at times. You know, those pesky little things like holidays, strikes, administrative outages, lost days due to environmental and other factors. For example, we have earthquakes in Colombia. There are also periods of heavy rains and accompanying floods. Then there are those “annoying” power and water outages that wreak havoc on virtually any society no matter how “developed” or “under-developed” they might be. “So what”, you say? Well these and numerous other factors can "skew" your teaching days and schedule so that when test time rolls around, you haven’t actually taught everything covered on a pre-scheduled exam. If that happens, then you shouldn’t test what you haven’t taught.

2. Use Multi-Modal Testing Approaches

Global reference testing (IELTS, TOEFL, etc.) aside, your EFL learners shouldn’t be subjected to a battery of only “answer the question” or “multiple choice” questions for the entire exam. Many highly successful people like Albert Einstein, did poorly in school and on exams for this and similar reasons. You don’t always use the same method in your teaching now (gasp!), do you? Well then don’t do it when you test either.

3. Use Known and Practiced Exercise Types

As a Department Head, Language Programs Coordinator and Teacher Trainer, I’ve constantly “preached” the necessity of using only exercise types on exams with which the learners have been made familiar. This serves several constructive purposes such as eliminating the need for an ongoing string of “Teacher, I don’t understand how to do section C" questions and the resulting repeated, lengthy, exam time-consuming responses. Use an extensive variety of exercise types during your English or foreign language classes and you can use more of these same types of exercises on exams without generating questions or problems.

In Part Two – More Critical Points English and Foreign Language Testing Will Be Discussed

We’ll continue to look at some critical points which need to be considered along with the testing, evaluation and assessment processes in part two of this two-part article post. See you then.


Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, prolific writer, author and public speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 100 countries. Get your FREE E-book, "If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.