Re: Code switching in EFL/ESL class lesson

[shamshoque]

 Re: Code switching in EFL/ESL class lesson?

I'm just trying to have a feel among our colleagues about delivery of our lessons in 100% TL (Target Language) which is English. They say 100% use of TL is a prerequisite for Communicative Language Teaching (CLT).
My question is:
Are we delivering our lessons, be it English language or,  English literature, in 100% TL? If not, why not?
Or, does code switching help learners learn better? If yes, how?
I'd request my colleagues to join in the debate. Thank you.

[Afroza Akhter Tina]

Language transfer can be positive (i.e. facilitating learning or performance) or negative (i.e. impeding learning or performance) depending on the similarity/distance between the pre-existing language and the new language one is learning. Extensive research has already been done in the area of native language interference on the target language. Dulay et al (1982) define interference as the automatic transfer, due to habit, of the surface structure of the first language onto the surface of the target language. When writing or speaking the target language (L2), second language learners tend to rely on their native language (L1) structures to produce a response. If the structures of the two languages are distinctly different, then one could expect a relatively high frequency of errors to occur in L2, thus indicating an interference of L1 on L2 (Dechert, 1983 and Ellis, 1997). To me, the use of native language as a semantic tool for assessing second language learners’ understanding shouldn’t be rejected altogether especially for the undergrad students of our country.


Afroza Akhter Tina
Senior Lecturer
Department of English, DIU

[shamshoque]

Thank you, Tina, for your quick and very important response to my post on Code Switching in English lessons. If you just have another look of the questions I asked in my initial post,
"Are we delivering our lessons, be it English language or,  English literature, in 100% TL? If not, why not?
Or, Does code switching help learners learn better? If yes, how?[/i]"
you'd realize that the above questions address the issues that relate to the prescriptions of the CLT curriculum presently getting implemented through government directives in Bangladesh and the usual practice of the G-T method, or a version of it, is still ruling the domain of ELT right from the primary to the tertiary levels in the whole of the country. Whereas, as a rule, CLT package demands teachers to deliver lessons in 100% TL which is English in this case. A real dichotomy of prescriptions and practice in relation to the programmes of CLT in Bangladesh is jeopardizing the outcomes of ELT we all hope to achieve.
I'd like to know from colleagues like yourself how much practitioners are doing to help teach English following the government policies on ELT in Bangladesh.
I do appreciate your contribution in terms of making a case for the students using L1 for an easier way to grasp the EFL patterns, phrases or vocabulary in an English lessons. But I'd like to ( actually, I wanted to) know from colleagues if it is acceptable for us to use L1 usually regularly in an English language class and how this kind of practice  help our students improve their proficiency in the language.
I'd take this opportunity to ask other colleagues and  viewers of our posts and responses to join in and help us reach a consensus in regard to Code Switching in our English lessons. Thank you!
Shams Hoque
Associate Professor in English
DIU
 

[shamshoque]

My dear colleagues,
I need your help in this. We need to come to a conclusion on the sporadic criticisms of code switching  by colleagues and friends who teach/don't teach English. Please join in with your genuine feelings and comments on this:
"Are we delivering our lessons, be it English language or,  English literature, in 100% TL? If not, why not?
Or, Does code switching help learners learn better? If yes, how?[/i]"
I look forward to all colleagues ( in English Department and in the other departments) to join the debate actively. Thank you.

Shams Hoque
Associate Professor in English

[shamshoque]

Just to give some clues for arguments in favour and against code switching.
Some food for thought on code switching in EFL/ES? class:
Moore’s study about code-switching and learning in the classroom emphasizes
the importance of code-switching as a marked choice that carries extra-
social meaning depending on the norms of the conversation. Moore (2002)
sees code-switching as an accommodation strategy that students use to satisfy
their main needs. The use of code-switching is subject to the topic, the speakers
and the situation (formal or informal). For this reason, classroom code switching
has a lot of benefits for second language learners, as it provides a
natural short-cut to content and knowledge acquisition. Moore mentions that
code-switching can be related to the learners’ learning styles. For this reason,
bilingual speakers’ code-switching is based on background, identity, social motivation
and preferences (p. 286).
There are different explanations and interpretations for the phenomenon
known as code-switching. In the eyes of some of the actors in the language scene,
code-switching is a negative influence for second or foreign language learning,
and it seems to suggest linguistic deficiencies. However, a significant percentage
seems to disagree and believe it to be useful by making communication easier
and enhancing learning of the target language. Resorting to code-switching at
key moments during a conversation may help students to continue participating
and interacting, and in the end might lead them to regain confidence and learn
more and faster. Among the findings obtained through the survey administered
to the intermediate and advanced students and professors of the English teaching
major at Universidad Nacional, Pérez Zeledón campus, it may be concluded
that the main factors that cause code-switching in Costa Rican bilinguals are
cultural untranslatability, vocabulary limitations in L1 or L2, and bilingualism
among the participants in the conversation. Regarding this last factor, Poplack
(1980) found that Spanish/ English bilinguals switch at junctures that are mutually
mappable in English and Spanish, despite the large number of permissible
switching points within the sentence, which indicates that code-switching requires
knowledge of two grammatical systems (Poplack, 1980, as cited in Becker,
1997, p. 5).
Technology is the field or topic that prompts the most occurrences of linguistic
alternations between English and Spanish among the surveyed groups.
Fashion, music, television and movies are also major language switching triggers.
This seems to justify code-switchers up to a certain extent. For example,
in the field of technology the amount of new gadgets launched in the market
everyday may overwhelm the nonnative speaker, who usually finds himself at a
linguistic disadvantage, not knowing how to name an object or process in his own
mother tongue or vice versa. Fashion, music, television and the movie industry
are constantly setting new trends and coining new terms, or showing unknown
scenarios for the learner, causing linguistic gaps as well.
In addition, both students and teachers feel more comfortable engaging in
code-switching in informal contexts with peers. This indicates that the alternation
of codes is a conscious habit among Costa Rican bilinguals, and only on a few
occasions does it seem to occur unintentionally or unconsciously. Switching from
L2 to L1 or vice versa seems to entail a purpose; it is a conversation keeper, a tool
that allows the learner to cope with the difficulty of expressing one’s thoughts in
a foreign language.
Finally, the use of code-switching definitely influences language use among
bilinguals who speak the same languages, sometimes for better, sometimes for
worse. However, the general thought among the surveyed population is that alternations
between two languages, such as Spanish and English, do not necessarily
affect the speakers’ performance as long as learners do not resort to it as
their only learning strategy. Moore (2002) sees code-switching as an accommodation
strategy that students use to satisfy their main needs. For this reason,
classroom code-switching has a lot of benefits for second language learners, as
it provides a natural short-cut to content and knowledge acquisition; their bilingualism
is integral to the process of accomplishing their discourse (Zimmerman,
1998, as cited in Greer, 2007, p.5).
Code-switching should not be encouraged by teachers, but it should not be
harshly punished in initial stages of the learning process. The learners themselves
will realize in time their own deficiencies and limitations, and it is through
positive reinforcement that the need to switching codes will eventually diminish
or disappear altogether.
( The extracts are taken from a published article by Jacqueline Araya Ríos and Jorge Luis Espinoza Camposon the net.)
Shams Hoque
Associate Professor in English, DIU

[/pre]

[shamshoque]

Another quote on Code switching. ( The extracts are taken from a published article by Jacqueline Araya Ríos and Jorge Luis Espinoza Camposon the net.) Any good?
"Milroy and Myusken (1995) classify the habit of code-switching into three
different types. The first one is known as inter-utterance or (intersentencial)
code-switching, and it refers to language switching which occurs between utterances
said by the same speaker. Then, there is inter or intra-sentential codeswitching,
which takes place within a sentence. In this case, embedded words,
phrases and even sentences may be found across or within sentences (p. 33).
The third type is suprasentencial or unitary code-switching, which occurs when
speakers switch either a segment or a single item of the utterance. Poplack
(1980) identifies one more type of code-switching—ungrammatical code-switching—
which refers to the mixing of the structure of both languages to create new
words (as cited in Becker, 1997, p. 11)."

[shamshoque]

I really wonder  why colleagues are quiet on this important issue. Come on "busy bees", let's spare our "honey buzz" here. Thanks.

[shamshoque]

Colleagues, I just request your short response to only one question now:

Does code switching help learners of EFL/ESL  learn better? If yes, how?

Thank you.
Shams Hoque
Associate Professor in English
DIU

[shamshoque]

No?/Yes? or Don't know? Please colleagues!

[shamshoque]

Anybody home? Hurry up, busy buddies!

[shamshoque]

There is a survey (on code switching) out for all English teachers. It would be fun to have comments, observations etc. on such an important issue like code switching.
Please show your interest when colleagues approach you for some time. Thank you.

[Subrata.eng]

I don't know whether 'Code Switching' is positive or negative, and I don't like to debate on the issue. However, while teaching the students of undergraduate and/or even postgraduate, I sometimes feel to switch from Target Language to Mother Tongue. Sometimes, I find my students' faces are dark and blank, and I understand that I fail to communicate them properly through TL.Hence, in the very moment, I switch my language to make them understand the topic I am discussing. No doubt, I have found this type of code switching works effectively for my students to comprehend the text and to connect the text with relevant context(s).

Disclaimer: It can be my limitation of language skills, or my approach to teaching. So, I don't want to emphasise on anything related to code switching let alone taking part in the debate.

Subrata Mozumder

[Afroza Akhter Tina]

I also share the same as Subrata Sir.Sometimes I switch from English to Bangla for the sake of my students who are not familiar with a classroom which has only English as the medium of instruction.Hence I find it helpful and effective sometimes.


Afroza Akhter Tina
Senior Lecturer
Department of English, DIU

[shamshoque]

Subrata and Tina,
Thank you for your thought-provoking responses. Now you, and all colleagues for that matter, need to spare few minutes to tranfer those brilliant ideas on code switching to a questionnaire that's coming in your way soon. I look forward to get enlightened from those answers. Thank you in advance.
Shams Hoque

[Subrata.eng]

We are glad to do that, Sir.